Love and Family
by AndersenYuki4404
Summary: Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life.Than Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything? Sequel to Fun and Games and Give and Receive.
1. Unexpected

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Note- Just thought I'd mention , that if you guys like my first two stories—Steve the Purple Dinosaur has an awesome story called _All For You_ that I can't get enough of! It's an excellent story about everyone's favorite couple so check it out if you get a chance :)

**Aster's POV**

I couldn't see a thing. I thought Zane and I were above these types of 'surprises' but I guess I was wrong. I leaned back against the leather seat of his Mercedes and let the smooth movement take me away. "Can I at least have a hint?"

"No," He said, bemused at the current situation. I rolled my eyes beneath the blindfold.

"Then I'll guess…This isn't a surprise wedding is it?" I asked, running my left hand over my engagement ring. It had almost been two months since we he asked me to marry him. I hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of it, but I didn't want a Vegas wedding either.

"Really? That's your guess? You think I have the patience and creativity for a surprise wedding?" I heard him sigh as he stopped the car. "You're hopeless…but we're here. Don't take your blindfold off yet."

When I heard his car door open, I lift my hand to try and lift a corner of the blindfold. A hand—not my own—slid in front of my vision. "Someone's not playing by the rules." Zane seemed to find the action more humorous than aggravating.

I groaned and tried to move away from his hand. "This isn't fair! You have to give me something to go on! You can't…"

He turned my head and planted a kiss on my lips. His lips moved against mine slowly and sensually. Kissing was usually our way of getting what we wanted—usually I played this trick, but he had caught me by surprise. When he stopped, he readjusted my blindfold. "Trust me; you're going to love it."

He closed his car door and came to my side. He opened it and helped me get out. He guided me from behind, gently pushing me from behind. He would tug on my shoulder when we stopped so he could open a door. At one point, he didn't ask me to move again. I felt a swift jerking movement, followed by the feeling of going up. "Why am I in an elevator?"

He chuckled and put his arm around me. "You'll see soon enough."

The elevator stopped suddenly, I bounced up for a moment. I heard the ding of the elevator open. "Okay, you can take off your blindfold now."

I quickly reached up and grabbed the blindfold, pulling it off my eyes. Zane had this amazing way of surprising me. It was one of the many things I liked about him. While I had learned to read people from a young age, Zane seemed to have this ability that prevented me from doing so. It kept things interesting.

But even if I could, I would have never expected this. I walked into the hall I use to run in as a child. Facing the same wallpaper my father and I shared a mutual hatred over yet looked forward to seeing at the end of a hard day. This was it. This was home.

"We're at the Miyazaki apartment complex…" I muttered to myself. I saw Zane's smile as he continued to lead me to the first door. He opened the door and led me inside—just as I suspected, it looked exactly like my dad's old apartment.

"Yup, remember how we've been looking for a new place to live for when we're married?" I nodded slowly. Yeah, we had been looking for a bigger place—but this wasn't exactly bigger. In fact, if anything, this was down-sizing. "Well, I've kept something from you. While we've been looking, I've paid off the top two floor attendants to leave and bought them from the landlord—Everyone's officially moved out so we can start construction."

My eyes widened as I turned to face him. "Construction?"

He nodded. "We're going to build a penthouse. I talked to a foreman already and he said we shouldn't have any problem getting it done within eight months."

I was completely astounded. He had done all that? Just for me. "But it must have cost you a fortune..."

"I have plenty more money—it would have been about the same amount we would have spent on a house or paying rent on a penthouse. Besides, this is what you wanted right?"

More than anything. I wanted my dad near me as I prepared to take the most important step of my young adult life. And this was the closest I would ever get. Zane stroked my cheek. "I know it's hard, not having your dad here and knowing he won't be there at the wedding... And this might not make up for it, but at least you can include him in some part of your life."

I finally broke out into a smile. Zane ran his thumb over my lip. "There you go, that's the response I wanted."

I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. Zane drift his arms around my waist and held me close. I couldn't thank him enough for this. I could never show him how much this meant to me and just how moving it was.

I pulled away, trying to keep my emotions submersed—for now that is. "So…should we go back to the apartment and celebrate our new home?" I said in a low seductive tone. He grinned and kissed my forehead.

"Sounds perfect to me."

()

I had pushed him against the wall in our apartment elevator. Kissing him fully on the lips and moving down to his neck. My teeth grazed against his neck and I listened to him moan softly.

His started to ring and I rolled my eyes. "Don't you dare answer it…"

He hesitated, trying to push it from his mind. But by the third ring, he gave in. He checked it and sighed. "It's Syrus, hold on…" I stopped biting his neck and nuzzled his shoulder as he spoke. "Someone better be dying."

"Oh good, I'm glad I caught you." I heard Syrus say over the phone. Wish I could say the feeling was mutual. "Listen, mom and dad called and…"

"Sorry, but I can't possibly talk about mom and dad right now." Zane said in annoyance and hung up the phone against Syrus's protests. The elevator doors opened and after checking to make sure no one was in the hall way, he swept his arms under my legs and lifted me up into his arms. Both of us laughing in the process. "You're going to kill me one of these days, hero."

"Oh I can think of quite a few ways to make that happen." I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulder. His phone started to ring again. Zane rolled his eyes.

"Get my phone, please." He said walking down the hall. I reached down to get his phone out of his pocket and held it against his ear. He took on a very serious tone. "Look Syrus, I'm about to tell you something no brother wants to hear from another or say to another since you don't seem to get the picture…I am about to have mind-blowing sex with Aster on every surface in our apartment."

"Zane!" Syrus and I simultaneously said at the same time.

He persisted. "That being said, my hands and every other part of my body, will be busy. So I won't be able to talk about mom and dad or anything else. So you'll have to call me another time."

Syrus sighed and continued in a disgusted tone. "You might want to reconsider because…" He hung up the phone against and attached his lips to mine. He slammed my back against our apartment door. One hand set to reaching under my shirt while the other focused on getting the key into the lock. When he unlocked the door, it swung forward, causing him to push me along with it against the wall of our apartment.

We heard the sound of a throat-clearing cough. Zane and I froze and looked up.

Syrus was sitting on the arm of our couch while two people were seated on the couch. One was a small, almost frail looking platinum blonde woman. Her hair fell over her shoulder and down the side of her stomach like spiraling water fall. Her eyes were the same greenish-grey that Syrus had, but she didn't have glasses. Her face had a few lines but she still looked surprisingly young. The man looked almost exactly like an older Zane. His hair was cut and streamed with white areas from graying hair that made him look distinguished as opposed to old. He also wore a pair of square rimmed glasses that marked the apparently genetic eye problems. Surprisingly, he also looked stronger than any of the younger men in the room.

I didn't have to be a genetic scientist to figure out who they were. I was coming face to face with Zane's parents.

**Zane's POV**

"Mom!" I dropped Aster to his feet, pulling my hands far away from my young fiancé. I didn't blush—well, at all, but I was pretty sure my face was red. "Dad, um…what a surprise."

"I guess so." His father said in a raspy, older version of my own voice. My mom tried to hide her shock under a big, friendly smile. She got up and walked over to me.

"It's our fault for intruding. You know, I forget you're a full-grown man sometimes." Mom wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tight. Her head barely reached my chest but she had a way of making me feel like a small child. I knew it wasn't intentional—my mom wasn't the kind of person who used guilt or schemes to get what she wanted. But it just always ended up that way.

"No, it's alright…I'm you're here." I looked up to Syrus; he had a smug, 'well-whose-fault-is-this?' look on his face. I fought the immense merge to wipe it off. He did, in all technicality, tried to warn me. But why did they come to my apartment in the first place. "I'm just…surprised, what are you guys doing here?"

Dad stood up and moseyed over in the same slow, calm way, he always did. "Well, some friends of ours were getting married and….while we were in Japan, we figured we'd visit for a few days."

"I hope you don't mind if we stay at your apartment, but Syrus said he and Chazz were repainting theirs and…" Mom's eyes drifted to Aster as if she hadn't seen him when we were pawing at each other. She smiled warmly. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Zane where are your manners, introduce us."

She knew who he was, everybody knew who he was. But I guess maybe she didn't know that we were dating (well, now engaged), since my parents resided in Greece. They moved there after Syrus went off to duel academy since it was a 'long-lost dream' of my mother's to live in Greece and well—for as cold as my father was, he lived to make my mother happy.

None the less, I initiated the introductions. "Aster, this is mom Clarissa and my dad, Samuel…Mom, Dad…This is Aster Phoenix."

"Oh, and you must be the reason why Zane's so happy." Mom held out her hand warmly. Aster, looking confused and nervous, took her hand and shook it. He nodded politely.

"It's…a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Truesdale…Um and you too, Mr. Truesdale." Aster switched to my father. My father stared coldly at Aster—or so it looked anyway. My dad always had this cold presence about him. The staring was odd though—my dad barely looked people in the eyes when he spoke to them, let alone stare at them.

My mother caught on to this too. "Sam?"

"Oh right…It's nice to meet you Aster." My father said at last, sternly shaking his hand. "I'm sorry but…you looked familiar."

There was something off about my dad's tone of voice. I didn't press it; there was already enough awkwardness to go around and I was sure my mom would add to it.

"It is nice to meet you at last, Aster and please, just call me Rissa. Zane didn't tell us he was seeing someone new, but you know him. He was always the secretive one."

"You know, up until now." My brother said, feeling very brave at the moment. I leaned around my dad and glared at him.

"Yeah, I think Syrus was always more secretive. After all, you never knew about his online habits."

Syrus flushed red with a horrified look on his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure I do… You were such a Dyon Liesh fan, right Syrus?"

"Enough!" My father stated in frustration. My mother was confused at the current topic of conversation. He knew who Dyon Liesh was, and so did Aster, who was trying to conceal the smile that crept across his face. After all, he was a pretty big erotic romance novel writer.

My mother shrugged and smiled. "Dinner, my treat?"

And an interesting one it would be.


	2. New Connections

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 2: New Connections

**Zane's POV**

We went to the same restaurant where I had my 22nd birthday party. Chazz had met us there, dressed to unimpressed as usual. My parents had met Chazz several times before this occurrence so they knew his personality fairly well as it was. Stubborn and really not much of a fancy dresser.

Despite the emotions lying between myself and my father, my mother made sure there wasn't an awkward silence. "So, Aster, you're a duelist like Zane right?"

"Yes ma'am. I've actually been doing it longer than Zane has." Aster explained. He wore a wide grin as he charmed my mother with his boyish good looks. Somehow, it was more than enough to convince her he was innocent despite their first impression. "I was starting off in the pro leagues by the time I was thirteen."

"Please, just Rissa. You don't have to try and play nice around me." Mom smiled. It was interesting to see—the two were basically playing the same game. Be polite and friendly so the other one will love you. "And really? Thirteen? My goodness, I could have never sent Zane or Syrus out into the world like that."

"Zane was always a great duelist." My dad said. Syrus frowned at dad's blatant disregard for his presence. "Although personally, he was a much better baseball player—hell, he could have made it pro."

Aster looked to me with intrigue. I tried not to be high and mighty about it but I wasn't going to lie; I was pretty good. "Well, that was thanks to you. You taught me how to use my body and head when I played. And really, that helped me a lot when I decided to duel professionally."

"Yeah, dad would spend hours in the backyard teaching Zane how to mathematically deduce which point to hit the ball… He would have taught me but…I wasn't good at math or sports." My brother's jealously was hidden by the sheer under confident attitude he always carried with him. That, along with the sorrow of knowing it was true. Dad had always spent more time with me growing up.

But the same could have been said about him and mom. "Oh Syrus, but you were such a great writer!"

"You wrote?" Chazz asked amazed. I guess not anymore.

Syrus shrugged and tried to conceal his proud smirk. "I was okay…"

My mother stared open mouth at him, as if he had just spoken blasphemy. "Syrus, you were incredible! Remember when you showed me your short-story for English class—the one about the broken clown car? It was so cute but well written that I could hardly believe an eight year old wrote it….And don't forget that poetry contest you entered while you were at duel academy…"

"Poetry contest?" Aster asked. My mother nodded eagerly.

"Oh yes, there was this poetry contest Syrus entered. A romantic poet contest I believe, and Syrus won first place with…what was the poem called again, dear?"

Syrus feigned forgetfulness. He leaned back in his seat and scratched his head. Too bad he was a terrible actor; Chazz glared at him. "Um, you know…I can't think of it. It wasn't a huge deal."

"It was something simple…Something to do with chocolate I think…Sam, do you remember?"

My father's lip turned up as Syrus turned pale. He offered his younger son an apologetic shrug. "Chocolate Eyed Oasis."

My mom snapped her fingers. "That's right! It was magnificent! It was so compelling and so romantic!"

"Yeah, he's a regular day Casanova..." Chazz said, his voice dripping with venom. Syrus scooted his chair away, ready to counter the attack on his life. I covered my mouth so no one could see me giggle. Aster himself, fought to remain composed.

"So, Mrs….Rissa, are you interested in writing too?" Aster asked. My mother perked up at the question.

"Actually Aster, I studied English in college. That's how I met Sam." My father turned his head at the mention of his name. "We were both studying to get our degrees, myself in English, Sam in linguistics…"

"Rissy, please…" My dad broke in, clearly uncomfortable with this story being told. I didn't understand why—he had always sat silently by in the past while my mother told this story. "The boys have heard this story a million times and I'm certain Chazz and Aster don't want to hear it."

"Oh no, it's alright. I'm interested actually…You know I have a couple PhD's myself." Aster said, nodding his head for my mom to continue. "Please, continue."

I thought my mom's heart would burst with joy. I'm sure she had fallen in love with Aster with that one little gesture. "Thank you. As I was saying, Sam and I were both studying for different PhD's, but we didn't meet until around our final year of study. See, I was attending this seminar by the author of this fantastic book—and I was supposed to go with a friend, but she was ill that day so I went alone. When I got there, I sat in the first empty seat I could find—and it just so happened to be next to this man here."

My mom placed her hand over my father's. He warmly wrapped his hand around it but his face read something entirely different. He was tense and nervous. "So we started talking and found out we had a lot in common. And after two years of dating and getting our degrees, we finally got married and had two incredible sons. And I'm thankful every day for it."

"As am I, Riss." My father said, leaning over to plant a kiss on my mom's cheek. My dad had slipped back into the role of loving husband and devoted father. But something was off—something that seemed small at the time.

I've known this man literally all my life. And although I kept things from him (and what kid didn't keep things from their parents?) and he kept things from me, he never acted so suspicious before.

I didn't like not knowing what people were thinking—especially my own father.

()

"When are we going to tell them about our engagement?" Aster asked me as we got the rollout couch ready for our rough night of sleep. After a long argument and compelling speeches from both Aster and my mother, we decided my parents should sleep in the comfortable queen sized bed while Aster and I took the 'guest bed' as we so lovingly called it. "Your mother seems to love your 'boyfriend' but you know, little does she know…"

I waved my hand. "I know, I know…We'll tell them the day they leave okay? I just…can't deal with my mother's dramatics."

Aster crossed his arms. "I can't believe you'd say that. I happen to find your mother incredibly charming."

I half-laughed and lay down across the bed. "You've known her all of an afternoon, try 22 years and get back to me."

He rolled his eyes and pulled the blankets back, joining in next to me. He cringed at the sound of rusty bedsprings. "God, I'll be so glad when we have a guest room… Call me spoiled but I've always hated rollout couches."

"Now who in the world would ever call you spoiled?" He hit my shoulder playfully.

"Right and you're totally not the mama's boy. I don't know who Rissa fawned over more, you or Syrus." He laid his head against the pillow and released a long drawn out breath. "I don't know. I guess I can see how she would seem overbearing to you but…"

He didn't finish his sentence, he didn't have to. Contrary to what I said, I loved my mother dearly, and the thought of never having her around scared the hell out of me. When I had a hard day at school as a child, my mom would sit down with me and find out why. When I did something wrong, my mom made sure I knew she still loved me. And when I told her I was bi-sexual, she laughed and revealed that she knew all along. And those things made her flaws seem—less noticeable.

Aster never knew that. His mom wasn't around when he grew up. Being around my mother made him wonder what he missed out on. He had never known what it was like to have a mom so he hadn't felt bad about it until now. It was like waking up from a dream and realizing it never happened. I reached over to stroke his face, smiling gently.

"Well, I guess you'll see for yourself soon enough."

**Aster's POV**

I woke up to the smell of eggs. My nose took in one waft of the heavenly scent and I was hypnotized. I couldn't remember the last time I had woken up to something like that—but it's been way too long.

I opened my eyes and shifted to my back. The mattress faltered undesirably, but that was far from my mind. I sat up and glanced around to see Rissa cooking over the stove. Her blonde hair neatly made and she was dressed—she was completely ready to face the day.

I glanced around to see that Zane was gone, a pulled back pile of blankets and sheets left in his place. "Good morning." I turned to see Rissa smiling a warm smile at me. Her voice had been loud enough for me to hear, yet gentle enough not to startle me. She used her spatula to point to the pan. "I hope you don't mind—I wanted to make breakfast to thank you for allowing us into your home."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that…Thank you." I said slowly, rising from the bed slowly. I leaned back to crack my back and grimaced at the quick jolt of pain. I was not looking forward to tonight. "Where's Zane?"

"Oh, he went to go get bread at the store. I guess you boys don't eat at home much?" She asked, scooping the egg up and over like a professional.

"No, we usually go out to eat. I'm actually surprised we have eggs."

"Well if you ask me, a home cooked meal is just what the doctor ordered for two young men. Tell me Aster, did your mother ever cook?"

I ignored the small twinge of pain that spiked through my chest. I walked over and leaned against the counter to watch her cook. Hoping to pick up a thing or two. "No, my father liked to cook though. He use to make great French toast. I was too young for him to ever teach me anything."

For the first time, I saw Rissa frown. "Oh, is your father not around anymore?"

"Neither of my parents are." I said softly, watching as her face drifted from sorrow to pure depression. "They're both...gone."

She shook her head slowly, focusing back to the eggs. "Me and my bigmouth—I'm sorry Aster, I didn't know."

I shrugged it off despite my emotions. "It's okay, I mean, it was a long time ago."

"But the pain never completely heals." Rissa sighed, picking the pan up and scooping the eggs on to a plate. "It just…gets a little better over time."

I was astounded that Rissa had a fairly good understanding of what the pain was like. "You see….I never knew my father—my mother always just said he was somebody I never wanted to know so… I never asked. But it made me all the more closer to my mom. I was….devastated when she died. I was a little older than you when it happened but it hurt all the same….I just, couldn't imagine my life without her but somehow…I had to make it work."

A swell of emotions rose through me. Grief, sadness, empathy. Somehow, I knew deep inside that very few people knew what Rissa had just told me. I felt honored that she would trust me, her son's boyfriend, with that kind of information. It made me feel just a little more welcomed into her life.

I didn't have the time to tell her that—Zane's father came out of the bedroom, looking just as awake as Rissa was. "Good morning." He gave me a friendly—yet lacking nod as he crossed the room to plant a kiss on his wife's cheek. Rissa slipped back into her happy mother exterior and giggled.

"Morning Sam…" She said. "Oh! I forgot to mention, Zane had said something about taking us out to eat before we left Sunday night—he wanted us to pick somewhere."

Sam shrugged and leaned against the sink. "Anywhere's fine with me."

I fought to retain the smiles that threaten to spread across my lips. So he meant it when he said we'd tell them before they left. Coward—but I guess I could hardly blame him.

I heard the front door open not long after that. Great, now that he had brought the bread back we could eat breakfast. The bread was tossed on top of the counter just as Zane's breath hit the back of my neck. "We need to talk…In private."

I didn't like how low and how serious the whisper was. It was obvious Zane didn't want his parents to hear so I smiled sweetly at Rissa. "We'll be right back—Um, I think something's wrong with the sink in the bathroom. "

I knew they both saw through the charade, but neither one of them asked about it. "Okay dear, I should have toast done by the time you two get back."

We got up and made our way to the bathroom. I closed the door behind us to make sure we wouldn't be over heard. Zane looked as if his calm front was melting before my eyes. His face was lined with concern and worry. "What's wrong?"

In his hand he held an open letter—probably from yesterdays mail we left in the box. "I got this from Louisa. I think you should read it."

I hesitantly grabbed the paper and read it slowly. Not believing a word it said.

_Dear Zane,_

_I thought that you should hear this from me before you heard it from a news paper. The other day, while visiting Ollie, the doctors informed me that he was making 'positive progress'. At first, I didn't believe them but when I spoke to him, Ollie was able to converse and talk back._ _He asked me all sorts of questions about his illness and Atticus. Although he's not completely 'cured' yet, the doctors believe if this keeps up, he should be out within a month. _

_I talked to a lawyer about what kind of charges he could face. I highly suggest you do the same. _

_Louisa_

"I…I thought it'd be years at least before he'd be well again. More likely never." I murmured. Was there any way that the Duncan's could stop haunting us? Was there ever going to a moment of peace in our immediate future?

Zane crumbled the paper in his hands; more angry than sad at the situation. "I don't know, but no sense worrying about it now; we'll deal with this after my parents leave. That maniac isn't walking away from this Aster, I'll assure you that."

I hoped he was right. On top of the wedding, I really couldn't deal with anything else right now; least of all a Duncan.


	3. Mixed Feelings

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 3: Mixed Feelings

**Zane's POV**

I couldn't leave the apartment until early afternoon. My parents and Aster sailed over to Syrus's place to offer assistance with the paint job. I came up with an excuse to break away so I could talk to Atticus about the Ollie problem, promising to go over after my 'errand'.

When I knocked on Atticus's apartment door, the first one went unanswered. I knocked a little louder. Was he out doing something? I guess I should have called before I came over. I was relieved when I heard the twist of locks. Atticus opened the door just a crack.

"Hey Zane…What's up?"

"We need to talk." I said simply and sternly, hoping he would get the point from the tone of my voice.

"Um, now's not really a good time for me….Could this possibly wait?" I frowned—his front was polite was usual, but his inner voice suggested something else completely. Annoyance. After all the times Atticus burst into my apartment without calling he was annoyed at me for this one, appropriate instance?

He must have had a man over. "Atticus, whoever you have in there has to wait, we have a serious problem!"

Atticus closed his eyes and sighed. He pulled open the door, revealing himself to be in a roughly tied blue robe. "Alright, come on in."

I tried to ignore the cosmic justice of the situation. I had been intruded on by my parents and now I was intruding on Atticus. When was the circle of awkwardness going to end?

I was expecting to find some pretty stranger sitting on Atticus's couch. Someone I didn't know nor did I want to. I was shocked to find that I was fairly familiar with him. Although I never thought I'd see him again.

"Yusuke?" Yusuke Fujiwara was lying across Atticus's couch wearing only a pair of jeans—no doubt from a meeting last night. He looked up to me suddenly, blushing and trying to hide beneath his unruly green hair.

During our first year at duel academy, the three of us were close friends. Though we were young, everyone had figured us out to be the newest dream team on Duel Academy's great shores. It was like we were some sort of band. I was the cool and collected one. The leader who knew exactly what to say and do. Atticus was the fun guy—always ready to start the party and stealing hearts along the way. Then there was Yusuke—he was always considered the shy, quiet type; and it did fit his true personality. Despite everything Shroud had tried to make him, by nature Yusuke was a gentle and subtle person.

But even knowing that I would have thought the shared history of Shroud would have pushed the two men away. But maybe that brought them together. "Yusuke was back in town and wanted to catch up and… one thing lead to another."

"I don't really need to know what lead where. It is good to see you Yusuke, how are you?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Okay I guess. Happy to be home I guess. You don't really realize how much you miss Japan until you're away." He said in a quiet voice, picking himself off the couch. He shot Atticus an apologetic look. "I should take my shower and go..."

I shouldn't have been surprised to see Atticus saddened at the thought. "You don't have to rush off… We won't talk for long."

"I have an important meeting with some prospective managers to attend." He said making his way to the bedroom. He offered Atticus a small smile. "I am free for dinner if you'd like to meet then."

"Tonight? Sure…" Atticus said, his smile coming back to his face. I rolled my eyes; was it that easy for him to say yes to me. "You can call me after your meeting to work out the details."

Yusuke looked back to me. "I'm sorry Zane; it is really nice to see you again… I'll leave you too to talk."

Yusuke closed the door. I turned to Atticus; not quite knowing where to begin. I guess with what I came here for. I took the crumbled letter out of my pocket and extended it towards Atticus. He raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just send it to me?"

"Just read it."

He took the note and read it; his face fading more and more into disbelief as he read it. "How is this even possible?"

I took the letter back, stuffing it deep into my pocket. "I don't know, but apparently it is."

"So what can we do about it?" Atticus asked desperately. He pointed towards the bedroom door. "What if Ollie gets free and finds out about Yusuke? God, if he even thinks we're dating…."

"Atticus, Ollie's barely thinking enough to converse. You might be the farthest thing on his mind right now." I stated matter-of-fact like. "Secondly, you've been with Yusuke all of what? One night? I don't know if that counts as 'dating'."

"But I like him—a lot. And that's all it takes for Ollie to get possessive. God good Zane, he almost killed you because you thought he were in the way. What if he comes to reclaim me and realizes I'm…semi-dating Yusuke."

"Well, you'll just have to be careful for now until we know what kind of threat Ollie is. As of right now, he's in England and still in a mental hospital." I explained calmly, willing Atticus to do the same. He took a couple of large breaths.

"You're right… I mean, Ollie will have to go on trial for what he did and we can deal with him then."

"Exactly, just keep on your feet okay? Regarding him and…."

Atticus looked dumbfounded that I would say that. "Really? Have you seen Yusuke? He's completely harmless."

He appeared so, but he had a past. Yusuke had so willingly gave himself to Night Shroud's powers—and then tried to force them on to Atticus. Granted, Yusuke was confused and unsure at the time, but for every action that was accountable, there was one that wasn't. I wasn't sure if I was ready to welcome Yusuke back as the old friend from high school; and I wasn't sure if I was ready to trust him with Atticus.

Then there was Atticus himself; who's choice in men have been questionable at times. Starting with me. Although I had wanted what was best for Atticus at the time, my emotions and feelings about my own past had kept me from giving the best to him. Hell, I was such a terrible boyfriend I pushed him into an affair with our former topic of conversation Ollie.

Ollie was also cold and distant, but somehow formed a soft spot for Atticus—but unfortunately for Aster and I, it was an obsessive, willing to kill for kind of love (which was later revealed to be an effect of some serious mommy and daddy issues). Then finally, there was the late Dr. Byron (Ronny) Francis. This one was a little different; Atticus had never intended to seriously date Ronny; but rather used him to find out more info on his plan with Louisa and the regrettably addicting heart medication. Contrary to this, after Ronny's past with Ollie and devotion to Louisa was made apparent, he might have been considered a friend—if he hadn't become the victim of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan's evil plan to control their daughter.

"Just be careful, alright? If you want to see Yusuke, far be it from me to stop you, but don't let him manipulate you."

Atticus smiled again—he was back to his natural demeanor. "Zane, are you actually being protective of me?"

I was, in a completely platonic way. We both knew that. But Atticus had a way of making jokes about our previous romantic status. "Atti, please…"

He clapped his hands and hugged me. "Zaney, I did know you cared so much! Here you are being worried about my welfare! That's so sweet!"

I sighed, letting the hug go on for another moment or so. Why would he ever think otherwise? There was a time when I genuinely thought I loved Atticus. All the things I was going through with Aster? I thought I'd be doing with Atticus. It all seemed a little far-fetched now considering how much I loved Aster, but I couldn't ignore the fact that at one time, Atticus was my entire world.

So of course I cared about his welfare. I wouldn't know what to do without him. "Atticus, I would appreciate this under normal circumstances but… you're in a robe."

**Aster's POV**

I don't know if I'd ever consider myself an artist. I sometimes considered the things I did art but only about as much as someone who was good at something could consider. But I figured painting a wall was simply enough—no abstract shapes, no multiple colors, just one firm color on a wall.

"Aster, honey..." Rissa stopped behind me as she and Sam were clearing out the office to be painting next. "It might be easier to paint up and down as opposed to side to side… Also, you should be careful; I'm seeing a few spots you missed."

I tried to control my blush. "Sorry Rissa, I haven't painted in…Ever." She laughed at my admission and set the box she held in her hand. She put her hand over mine and guide the brush t make long, clean strokes. I had gotten use to the rhythm and Rissa removed her hand. "Thanks."

"No problem. I had to stop anyway. Syrus told there was an old album I left behind last time I visited in here." I put the brush down into the pan and helped Rissa search through the box. Inside the box were multiple books and old electronics. Finally, Rissa's hands came across a velvet album with the names 'Masson-Truesdale' embedded in gold on the front. Rissa's fingers seemed to trace the letters.

"This was a gift from a friend of my mothers. My mother had left her a number of pictures that she had planned to give me when I got married and she put them in the photo album." Rissa said, handing the album to me. I took the book and flipped it to the first page.

On one side, there was a black and white picture of a baby girl with a wide toothless smile. Her hair was a darker color but thanks to her eyes; I knew that the photo had to be of Rissa. On the other side, a baby boy wearing blue overalls was smiling into the camera. It was probably one of the rare times I'd see Samuel Truesdale smile.

"My mother loved this picture—it's the only picture I have of myself as a baby." Rissa reached over to point to the background. "We lived in a little town just bordering outside of France in a small house out in the country. I don't remember much about it though; we moved to America while I was young."

"America? My parents use to live there. My dad use to travel to Japan for work but we didn't actually move there until a few years after my mom died."

"Is that right? I was four when my mother moved us to America. Sam and I moved to Japan because Sam got a job there about a year after we were married." She seemed to be in a dream-like trance as she spoke. "Sam and I spent a lot of our dating time travelling the world. Greece was always my favorite place because I loved everything about it—the culture, the people, the atmosphere, everything. Sam expressed an interest in moving back to the States when Syrus entered duel academy but…well, I had already lived there once. I wanted to be somewhere new."

Sam Truesdale didn't strike me as the kind of man to give up his own desires—even for the woman he loved. But I could tell by the look on Rissa's face that he had treated her well in all their years together. I could imagine them walking the streets of an exotic, beautiful country, but at the same time, I could see them sitting in two chairs watching t.v.—perhaps silently reminiscing about all they've done together. Not to mention, I could see how Sam would have easily fallen for her—even I seem to be under her spell.

The next page had a picture of Rissa as a toddler—maybe three or four years old. Her hair was a lot lighter in this one; showing the process of how it came to be today. She was still smiling and happy as she waited patiently for her picture to be taken. This photo had a bent corner which seemed to bother Rissa.

"Damn, when did that happen?" I think it was the only curse word that was muttered from her lips. "Let me see if Syrus has any glue so we can fix it…" She got up to her feet and rushed into the other room. "Syrus!"

I chuckled and teased with the corner of the picture. Once I was nervous about telling Rissa about the engagement. Now I had to wonder if maybe she'd be happy with it. Who knows? Maybe it'd be the event of the year. The way things were going between her and I well—she'd probably be ecstatic.

Sam was harder to say. Well he didn't seem to hate me; he didn't really like me either. And to be honest—it felt almost like he disliked me more than he liked me. Sometimes I'd catch him giving me weird looks. Sometimes they were trance like—as if he could hardly believe I was there. Other times, they were awkward, like he had been caught red-handed. I didn't understand it, but I also didn't know him very well. That just might all stem from Sam's obviously distant personality.

I picked the corner to see how bad the damage was. When I did, I noticed something odd—a blue strip of ink was on it. I pulled the corner back some more to see that a letter was written on the back of the photo. I should have stopped there. My father had always said it was rude to look at other peoples things; even if they left them out for you to look at.

On the other hand, curiosity was one of my many bad habits. I pulled the picture back and looked at the back, silently mouthing the words as I read.

_Dear Madeleine,_

_I thank you for sending this picture of Clarissa—she is indeed as beautiful as you have painted her out to be. However, I'm sorry to say that as much joy as this picture has brought me; I must send it back. _

_I have not been completely honest with you or the relationship pertaining my wife. Although it's true, Azelma is not the nicest woman in the world and in fact, has been cruel to me; she is still the woman I love and care for. Beyond that, we also have a daughter together, and bringing another one—especially one by another woman, into my home would only make Azelma act out against her. So to protect her, I must pretend she does not exist._

_Enclosed, I have given you more than enough money to lead a new life and the information pertaining to an account for Clarissa to use in the future. My only wish is that you never seek me out and that you keep my identity secret from our daughter. If we should ever meet; that will be for fate to decide. Until that day, I am nothing more than a stranger to Clarissa._

_I wish you and our daughter the best,_

_Signed, _

_Jean Carter Jarvis _

I could hardly believe the significance of the letter. My god, what would Rissa think if she saw this letter? If she could finally know her father's true name? Or that she had a half-sister? Could she handle it? Would she even want to know? Was this Jean Carter Jarvis even alive?

Maybe I shouldn't show her this yet; maybe I should find out a little more information and then tell her. A guilty feeling rested into my brain; this wasn't my secret to keep. Rissa deserved to know the truth.

But the thought of seeing Rissa hurt or disappointed made me feel guiltier. In such a short time, this woman has showed me nothing but warmth and hospitality. I didn't want her to be let down if in fact her father was dead or a terrible person.

"I told you mom, if we had glue, it would have been in the boxes out there…"Syrus and Rissa walked back in the room. I slammed the picture face-up on the album; making it look as if it was still pasted to the album.

"Well I guess I'll have to stop at a hobby shop on the way back to the apartment." She said with a shrug.

"I'm meeting Cal tonight if you want me to stop on my way out." Sam shouted from the other room. I closed the book shut, hoping it would stay that way until after I found out a little more about Jean Carter Jarvis.

"That would be great, dear. Thanks."

"I should get back to work." I murmured, putting the album back and standing up.

Syrus sighed. "No rush; Zane's not even here yet and I doubt we're getting this done today."

Maybe not, I thought, smiling to myself. But I would say this was a very productive day.


	4. Dismay

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 4: Dismay

**Zane's POV**

A couple hours after we got home, my father had left to go meet his friend. Aster had locked himself into our electronics room; refusing to state the reason why he had gone in there. Something must have been up but I didn't press it. If there was something going on, he'd tell me eventually.

I wondered through the kitchen after taking a long shower. It was nice to be alone for awhile after having my parents around so much. I loved them to death but it was hard to get away and do anything while they were around—perhaps the prominent thing I missed; carefree playtime with my young fiancé. We hadn't even tried to make love since my parents arrived. It was a mood killer knowing they were just a room away—and also that the rollout mattress was so squeaky even the slightest movement was like thunder to us. There was just know way it could be done; not without my parents knowing.

But now that everyone was relaxed; I could take a minute to calm myself. I sat down next to my mother on the couch. She was reading a book, but I could tell her focus was on something else. "What are you reading?"

"A collection of Shakespeare stories." She responded, piercing her lips together. I didn't understand it. Did she want to say something to me? Why didn't she just say it? My mom wasn't one to beat around the bush. She always went straight to the point.

I nodded. "I'll leave you to it then. I'm going to go see what Aster's up to…"

"Alright dear…" She closed the book as I got up. She looked up at me, biting her lip before she asked. "Did you take your medication tonight?"

I froze suddenly and faced my mother with wide eyes. She looked up at me soberly. It was almost heartbreaking. Did she know about everything that happened? The Hell Kaiser thing, the heart condition, my aneurysm? All the things I had tried to keep from her to protect her?

"Zane, why didn't you tell me about it? About any of it?" She asked.

"Mom, how did you find out?"

She gave me a glare—the one she gave me when I disobeyed her or did something wrong. "Don't evade the question, Zane Truesdale—why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you if I had known about your losing streak, or your heart problems….For god sakes Zane, how was I suppose to react when Jacey told me—not you—that you had gone through an aneurysm? You could have died!"

My mother had slammed her book down and jumped off the couch. Jacey (mother of my old friend Layla) was the person whose wedding my parents had attended. I never once considered that one of my parents Japanese friends could have told my mother about the things going on in my life.

Mom's eyes were watering. "Am I really so difficult to be around? Do you dislike me so much that you had to keep this from me? Why Zane, why?"

My heart wrenched. I cleared my throat so my voice wouldn't break. "I kept it from you because I was afraid you'd be ashamed of me."

My mother's mouth dropped suddenly. Her face became confused as if she didn't understand what I had just said. As if the idea was incomprehensible to her. Did I really need to spell it out for her? Unless…

Syrus never told her about what I had done to him? Or even about being Hell Kaiser? Did he keep it secret out of brotherly-loyalty? Or did he keep it away from her for the same reason I did? To protect her from the truth? Or did he think that she already knew? I guess that really didn't matter because my mom didn't know.

Now I had no choice but to tell her. I reached out my hand and sat her back down. Holding my mom's hand in between mine. She was surprised at first by the action, but then added her other hand on top. "Mom, remember how I told you I was taking a break from the pro leagues to clear my head after the losing streak?" She nodded carefully. "That was a lie… I was kicked out of the pro leagues because I kept losing. Then I met this man, Shroud and he got me into underground dueling. They hooked me up to electrodes and…if I lost life points, I got shocked—everybody did, that's how they dueled."

"You shocked yourself?" Mom asked, practically breathless.

"It felt good." I admitted softly. "In a regular duel, if something went wrong, a person tends to panic. But when you're shocked, you learn to deal with it….It was like I was freeing myself from the emotions that had kept me down and winning like I was supposed to. Then…there was tournament at Duel Academy. I entered it and tried to face the man that had caused my losing streak in the first place…" I didn't bother saying that it was Aster who had caused my losing streak. I figured that would only upset her more.

"Syrus took his place….I…I made Syrus duel by the underground rules. Mom, I shocked him half to death and walked away when he passed out. My own brother!" The tears my mother had tried to hold back fell down her face.

"Oh Zane…"

I interrupted, determined to face it all at once. "Then after the tournament, the doctors told me I essentially had the heart of a fifty year old out of shape man. They told me I'd have to take medication for the rest of my life….How was I supposed to tell you all of that? Hell, how you and Syrus could even look at me…"

My mother moved her hand to stroke my cheek. It wasn't until that moment that I realized that I too was crying. I took a deep breath and willed myself to keep control. "Zane, listen to me…." My mom spoke softly. "It doesn't matter what you do, Zane…You could be a serial killer and I would still love you."

She pulled me into her embrace, resting her chin on my shoulder. "And even though I can't say that I'm proud of what you did in the past, or that you kept it all from me. But I am very proud of the life you're leading now. You're living proof that people can change and become better, and that makes me love you all the more. I could never be ashamed of you…"

Surprisingly, my mother began to sob. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to sooth her. "But the aneurysm Zane? What if you had died? I would have never known or gotten to say goodbye… I would have lost my baby and never know why."

"I didn't want you to worry mom… And I didn't want you wrapped up in the shit that was going on." I pulled away and looked my mother in the eyes. "Someone tried to kill me mom. Ollie Duncan. He hit Aster with his car so my heart would give out. He almost killed both of us! I didn't want you anywhere near that."

"I lied to protect you, and that might not make it better, but that's my reason. I'm sorry if I hurt you, that was the last thing I wanted to do."

She wiped her tears away and forced a smile. Typical Rissa Truesdale. "Thank you and I know now… I'm sorry for being such a blubbering fool—I'm just a big cry baby sometimes."

I smiled back gently and patted my mom's shoulder. At that time Aster had walked into the living room. He paused when he saw my mom and I. "Um… I'll come back later…"

"You don't have to go Aster; I'm actually going to go take a bath." She elbowed my side softly and clicked her tongue. "With my iPod and my earphones blaring. You know how I like my bathes, Zane, completely oblivious to the world around me."

And suddenly, my over-bearing somewhat embarrassing mother was back. "What happened to the woman who said she'd wring the pretty-little neck of the first girl I brought home?"

"Well, the chances of you getting Aster pregnant are slim to zero." She said, causing Aster to laugh out loud and me to blush. "And secondly, you're a full grown man. I'm not so naive to assume my son is living with another man and is still virgin."

"But to condone it?"

"Taking my bath now!" She slammed the door to my bedroom shut. Aster and I shot each other a knowing glance- silently agreeing that there was no way in hell we were going to have sex with my mom around, no matter how loud her iPod was playing.

Besides, Aster had other plans. "Zane, we need to talk."

**Aster's POV**

I wasn't sure how to tell Zane this. I was expecting a lot of things when I researched Jean Carter Jarvis but not what I eventually found. I thought at first that maybe I was mistaken, but Jean Carter Jarvis was a relatively uncommon name. Chances were, there were no mistakes.

But how would Rissa handle it? Hell, how would Zane handle it? I had trouble adjusting to the idea myself.

"What is it?" He asked, wiping his eyes again. He didn't want me to know he had just shared a meaningful moment with his mom. I didn't ask about it; it sounded like a mother-son moment.

"Your mom told me about how she never knew who her father was. Well, earlier today, well we were painting, your mom was showing me this photo with a bent corner. While she went to go find glue to repair it, I noticed there was writing on the back. What could piece together was that Rissa's mom must have sent it to her dad, and he sent it back with a letter on the back."

Zane gave me a skeptical look. "Why didn't my mom ever see this letter?"

"Her dad asked her mom not to tell her about it—he gave her money not to tell even, and the photo was pasted into the album by the time Rissa saw it." I explained. He gave me a stern glare. Reluctantly, I elaborated further. "I didn't show her it, not yet anyway…I wanted to make sure that he was a good guy before I told her. Your mother's so sweet Zane, I couldn't bare to let her down."

Zane stared at me for a moment or so and then sighed. "Well, guess I can't blame you for that…But we have to tell her now…"

"Are you sure about that? I'm not sure if she'll like the results." I said, swerving my chair so Zane could see. He leaned forward and looked at the screen; repeating the very words I had seen.

"Jean Carter Jarvis died today at age 43 of a heart attack." He read a few more sentences about his estranged grandfather before he reached the important part. "He is survived by wife, Azelma Renee Jarvis (nee Blanc) and daughter, Caroline Marie Jarvis.—so, he's been dead for years."

That in itself was unfortunate. It meant that even if Rissa wanted to meet her father, she wouldn't get the chance. However, that wasn't the part that bothered me.

"I did some research on Caroline Marie Jarvis, and found this piece of information." I pulled up what I had found on Caroline Marie Jarvis. When Zane looked at it, he breathed in a sharp breath.

"This…this can't be right. There must be another…"

"This is the only Caroline Marie Jarvis I could find…Zane, it's her."

I looked back to the article; just to make sure my information was accurate. Hoping to god that it wasn't.

Destiny had an odd sense of humor; it was a hundred percent accurate. I clicked through the different articles I had found on Caroline Marie Jarvis.

_Today Caroline Marie Jarvis married Orville Colin Duncan._

_Baby Orville J. Duncan was born today to Mr. Orville C. Duncan and Caroline M. Duncan(nee Jarvis)_

_Baby Louisa C. Duncan was born to Mr. Orville C. Duncan and Caroline M. Duncan (nee Jarvis)_

_Caroline M. Duncan is accused of murdering Dr. Byron Francis today…._

"I'm…related to the Duncan's." He whispered


	5. FYI

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 5: FYI

**Zane's POV**

There were so many people in the world. So many faces and places to go. Why did my mother have to be Caroline Duncan's half-sister? Why did I have to be Ollie's cousin? It made no sense.

"This must be a mistake!" I repeated for maybe the fifth time in the past two minutes. Aster stared at me apologetically. "Are you sure you didn't misread the letter? Or maybe you spelled the name wrong. Did you even look at it that closely?"

"It's no mistake Zane. Jean Carter Jarvis is an easy enough name to remember." He said, pointing to the computer screen as he spoke. "And the back story makes sense too. You're mom said her mother told her that her father was 'someone she wouldn't want to meet' but maybe that was to abide by his wishes or to protect her from his wife. Who sounds like a fairly nasty person in herself…"

"And it rubbed off on Caroline." I sighed my hands running through my hair to sooth my stress. "But it's so…coincidental…How could two cousins be in a similar profession, share a mutual love interest, and feud with each other without ever knowing they were related?

Then there was my mother and Caroline Duncan. How was that possible? My mother couldn't hurt a fly. Her major flaw in life was that she was too kind. She barely even raised her voice when she argued with my father. She was a gentle woman. Nothing like my supposed aunt. The one time I had met Caroline Duncan she had killed a man and probably would have killed me if given the chance. She was now on trial for several things—child abuse, murder, kidnapping, and her husband's record wasn't much better.

"Six degrees of separation I guess." Aster suggested weakly. Any explanation would have worked; because the situation was just unbelievable. It made me sick in a lot of ways; and in others it just sounded too farfetched.

But I couldn't ignore the facts. There weren't many Caroline Jarvis's in the world; and there were even fewer Jean Carter Jarvis's. And if that was indeed the name on the supposed letter than it had to be my mother's father. As much as I hated it; Caroline was my aunt and Ollie and Louisa were my cousins.

Wait a minute. "She knew…Louisa knew the whole time we were related!"

Aster gave me a confused look; after a couple moments of thought he sucked in a large amount of breath. "How did she even know? Your own mother doesn't even know!"

"Shit," I murmured under my breath. "How are we going to tell her? She and dad are leaving tomorrow night and we were supposed to announce our engagement!" Should I even tell my mother about the Duncan's? I knew her well; she would want to know even if it wasn't what she wanted. My mother was a self-righteous woman—she believed in being honest with people and expecting honesty in return.

But how could she deal with it when I could barely comprehend it myself? The Duncan minus Louisa were terrible people. They chased what they wanted with little or no remorse for the people around them. As far as they were concerned—the world revolved around them and the rest be damned.

It wasn't the type of family my mother would want; and it certainly wasn't the type she deserved.

()

The next night we were sitting at a fancy dinner table with shining silver and white, fabric napkins at our disposable. Syrus and Chazz were there hand and hand, promising to pay for drinks as thanks for helping with the apartment painting. Aster and I would glance at each other nervously, unsure of which secret to be more afraid of; the secret of our engagement, or the secret of my mother's family.

My father seemed relatively distracted; in fact, he looked exhausted. It was hard to believe that he would be willing to survive a fifteen hour flight back to Greece. My father wasn't a big fan of sleeping in other people's homes but the way he was yawning, made me a little suspicious as to how much he had slept at all.

"Are you going to be alright, dad?" Syrus asked, looking past mom to him. My dad yawned again and nodded.

"Yeah, it's just been a long trip."

"You'll have plenty of time to sleep on the plane ride." My mother answered, looking just as concerned as any of us had. "Maybe we should get you some sleeping pills just in case…"

"I'll be fine." He answered sternly, rubbing one hand over his face.

With my hand grazing over Aster's engagement ring, I decided now was better than ever. "There's an ulterior motive as to why I invited you all to dinner tonight." I spoke softly. Unbelievably, I felt nervous. I had faced a dangerous dueling career, a family of psychos, and much more, and yet my parents could still scare the hell out of me.

Aster squeezed my hand encouragingly. I willed my nerves to be calm and spat it out. Real quick and humane. "Mom, dad…I've asked Aster to marry me and he said yes…"

The only sound was the clinging of silverware which my mother was unwrapping from her napkin. Her eyes wide with shock and…well, just shock actually. Syrus and Chazz paused and gave me questioning looks.

To my surprise, my father just giggled. I wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or the shock of the news itself, but he just laughed. Whatever it was, it didn't sit well with me. "What?" I practically barked.

"I'm sorry Zane but what did you expect me to do? Surely you don't think we would fall for this joke?"

Aster's eyes narrowed at my father as did mine. My mother caught the looks and leaned towards my father. "Sam, I don't think their joking…."

"No, we're not." Aster brought his hand over the table to show them the engagement ring. The smile faded from my father's face. My mother reached for Aster's hand and looked it over slowly.

"My engagement ring…Zane I didn't know you kept it!" My mother murmured.

"Wow…Just wow…." Syrus whispered, looking at the engagement ring and back to Chazz. "I thought you would pull something like that off before he would!"

I ignored my younger brother and his boyfriend. "Are… Are you guys okay with this?"

My mother brought her eyes to mine. The shock finally wearing away from her features. "Of course we are! The news was just shocking! I mean, not so long ago you were assuring me that you would never be married—I'm so happy you found someone Zane."

Aster, once assured that my mother wasn't mad, smiled and entwined his hand with mine. Within moments, the mood was back up. I didn't feel nervous anymore, and everyone appeared to be genuinely happy.

Almost everyone. My father excused himself from the table and stood up, walking briskly towards the front. Just as quickly, I got up from my seat and followed him. I didn't get what his deal was. The odd looks at Aster, the response to our engagement—my father was hiding something and I intended to find out what.

When I walked outside my dad was lighting a cigarette—an on and off habit of his. "What is your problem?"

He took a long drag and puffed it out. "Nothing…I was just shocked."

"Bullshit dad! You've never had a problem with me being with a man before yet now that I'm marrying one, you want to run to the hills? What's wrong? Is it Aster?" I asked, my fingers trembling from the rage building inside. I couldn't handle it if my father didn't like Aster. For one thing, he had done nothing wrong. They had caught us in an awkward position one time; but that was us being two consenting adults. For another thing, I wasn't sure if I could say that I'd choose my father over Aster—my old man and I were never particularly far apart, but we weren't close either. I would have seen him forcing me to choose as both unfair and unjustifiable. It was my life and my choices.

He just shook his head. "It's nothing to concern yourself about, and it's nothing you can change either. So you might has well let it be."

When he leaned down to take another drag, I walked over and ripped the cigarette out of his fingers. "I'm not going to have you grouching by the sidelines while I live my life. So you might has well tell me the truth now because I'm not letting it go."

My father glared at me and snatched the cigarette out my hands. He looked at me with the same paternal eyes that punished me or sent me to the corner. But the words he spoke said something different. "You really want to know Zane?"

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a small picture. He extended the picture towards me. I stared at it for a moment before accepting it.

In the picture there were three people. I recognized two of them by name. My grandfather (my father's dad) was in a rugged chair and smiling up at a woman. On his other side, a younger version of my father was sitting on the arm of the chair; looking longingly at the woman.

The woman nearly took my breath away. Not because she was particularly beautiful or anything. Her figure was small and frail even with the shirt matching every curve (which weren't that many) of her body. She had a boyish figure but a heart-shaped face with smoky grey eyes—and most notably, chin length silver-hair.

Holy shit. I had just about enough of this small world stuff.

"Is that…"

"Shiloh Ward." He confirmed, his fingers crushing the cigarette between them. "At least, that was her name… And until a short time before I met your mother, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her."

**Aster's POV**

I looked to the door again, willing my fiancé and his obviously distressed father to come back through the door. Why couldn't things just go smoothly for once? Why did someone have to object?

Rissa sent me apologetic looks. "I'm sorry Aster, I'm sure the news was just over-whelming for him." I doubted that. I didn't know Sam very well, but I did know he was hard as stone. He wasn't easily moved by emotions, and for some reason, I didn't think this situation was any different.

"Yeah, Aster…My dad's just weird sometimes. He probably just went out to smoke a cigarette." Syrus said, trying to make the moment less awkward.

Even Chazz seemed sympathetic to my cause. "Zane went out to talk to him so there's no reason to worry about it…When is our food going to get here?"

"Shortly, I'm sure." Rissa said, smiling at her youngest son's boyfriend before standing up. "Excuse me… I'll be right back."

She walked away from the table and towards the bathroom. I decided perhaps now was a good time to inform her of what I had discovered. Since Zane was busy dealing with his dad; I should deal with his mom.

"I'll walk back with you Rissa." I stood up and followed her towards the back; standing near the bathrooms.

I thought about what I was going to tell her while I waited. Was there any easy way of saying it? 'Bad news Rissa, your father's dead, but that's okay, you have a half-sister!—only, she's a crazy murderer,' There was no way to portray the discovery in a good light. It was the very thing I was trying to prevent by looking up her family. I had hoped to find that Jean Carter Jarvis, and his young daughter would both be alive and good people. Now, all I had was a father who she would never meet, and a sister who was now on trial.

When Rissa emerged from the restaurant, she gave me a friendly nod. "Ready to return to the table? Sam and Zane should be back by now." When she saw the look on my face, she frowned. "Oh Aster…Please don't be offended by Sam. He's a difficult man to understand at times, but I swear, once the shock wears off, he'll be thrilled that you and Zane are getting married!"

I sighed and looked her in the eyes. Preparing myself to reveal the truth. "It's….not about Sam. It's about you. Remember that bent picture in your photo album?"

"Yes of course, what about it?"

"There was a letter on the back of it…From a man named Jean Carter Jarvis to your mother, Madeleine." I said her mother's name so she would know I was speaking the truth. "It was about how he could never meet you because he already had a wife and daughter and that you would only find pain getting caught in the middle…This Jean Carter Jarvis is your father."

She backed away from me and stared at me in disbelief. Looking at me like I had jabbed a knife through her hand. "What?..."

"It's true—and I looked them up too….I'm sorry but, Jean Carter Jarvis is dead."

She covered her mouth and looked to the floor. Shaking her head slowly and looked to me again. "What about his daughter…My sister. Is she still alive?"

I was speechless; I knew this question would come up but I still didn't know how to answer. Should I tell her the truth and hope she could handle it? Or should I lie for the sake of protecting her? It shouldn't have been up to me to begin with. I should have showed Rissa the picture and let her make her own choices based on it. But that was a completely different argument on its own. Now that I did know, would she be better off in ignorance or knowledge.

She gasped and I realized I had taken too long to answer. "Oh god….She's dead too, isn't she?"

"No, she's not…" I finally stated. Rissa was hurt enough already by my doing. I compromised with myself. I would tell her the truth, but leave certain parts out. "Her name is Caroline and as far as I know, she's still alive." And by certain, I meant most. If Rissa decided to continue the search, she could.

Her eyes started to water and she covered them. Her body wracking with silent sobs. Guilt overcame me. This should have never been my call. I should have been honest from the very beginning. I hadn't meant to harm my future mother-in-law, but that seemed to be what I did.

"Rissa, I'm so sorry…I was only trying to help. I should have showed you the letter but…I wanted to make sure he was a good man first. I'm sorry."

She lifted her face from her eyes and shook her head. "No Aster… I'm glad you did… You're right, you should have shown me but I know you meant well. I've just… I've spent so many years wondering who my father was and if he was still alive. If he had other children, if he was happy, if he ever thought of me…."

"Now I know." She whispered, walking over to me and wrapping an arm weakly around my body. I was shocked by the embrace—so much so that I didn't react to it. I just let it happen. "Thank you…"

Rissa cried, laughed, and dried her tears before we walked back to the table. As she had guessed, Sam had returned with Zane. We didn't further discuss what happened; we just ate our dinner and talked silently. The family game of avoidance which had been done at so many dinner tables before us.

But strangely enough; the mood was lighter. The family secret being thrown out there did calm the raging waters. We enjoyed each other's company one more time before we drove them to the airport. Rissa gave both her children a strangling hug before meeting me once again.

"In a few weeks, we'll be celebrating Grandpa Truesdale's birthday. I told Zane to bring you out so you could meet the family and see Greece." She said, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. "Thank you again Aster. I don't know how I can repay you for this."

I cringed when she said that. Yeah, just wait until she finds out who Caroline really is. "I'm just sorry I kept it from you."

"Don't fret about it; you did it to protect me and I appreciate it." Rissa pulled away and stood next to Sam. I offered him a friendly nod and handshake but it was tension-filled and awkward. Chazz got a hug from Rissa before they announced their flight. With one last tearful goodbye, Rissa and Sam walked away towards their plane. If Rissa was right, it'd only be a few weeks until I saw them again—I could only hope by then Sam would be nicer to me.

"I have something to tell you on the car ride home." Zane whispered. I rolled my eyes. I was really getting fed up with that phrase.

()

"That's my mother!" I exclaimed at the picture Zane had handed me. His eyes were focused on the road as he explained the picture he had handed me.

"Remember how you said your mother was a genius?...My father is too and apparently they learned from the same person…my grandfather." I still didn't believe it. It wasn't possible. There was no way that Zane's mom could have been related to Mrs. Duncan and Zane's father could have known my mother. The world couldn't be that small. "And when they were teenagers they started dating and were pretty much together up until senior year. They broke up and a few weeks later, my dad met my mom."

"Why did they break up?"

Zane shrugged. "He wouldn't say—but it sounds like to me it was about the time your father came into the picture. He said something about how your mom never wanted to get married too, so it's hard to say."

I groaned leaning my head back against the seat. It did explain a lot of Sam's behavior. My mother and I were far from identical in appearance, but I had been told that I had her hair, her face, and complexion. That was enough to draw a lot of good and bad feelings from my future father-in-law. No, most of my shock came from the fact that so many years ago, our parents had been together and now Zane and I were preparing to tie the knot.

"When does it end?" I whispered mostly to myself. Zane answered anyway.

"I don't know but… at least now the air is clean and all the secrets are out." He stopped his car and shut it off, releasing a sigh of release. "Maybe now that it is, my dad can move past it and we can exist peacefully.

I looked around and realized that we weren't home—we were in a dark, shaded area in the woods off the side of the road. I shot Zane a confused look. "Um… did you forget where we lived?"

He flashed me a devilish smirk and reached into the back of the car. He pulled out the blindfold he had used to surprise me when he took me to our future home. He reached over and blindfolded me again.

"I couldn't wait until we got home…" He pressed a fierce, earth shattering kiss to my lips. All the sexual feelings that I had been suppressing for the sake of Zane's parents flooded back to me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. Waiting for the kiss to break so I could speak my opinion.

"You really want to do it here? In the car? With me blindfolded?" I said as he kissed my neck.

"Why not? No one can see us…And this way, we won't find any surprises at the apartment."

"True, but the blindfold?" I hitched my breath as he bit down on my neck—showing my skin no mercy.

"I just want to try it." He responded. I shrugged and gave into my desires. Allowing myself to enjoy the freedom of once again having no parents around.

And I had to admit—it was pretty awesome.


	6. Confrontation

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 6: Confrontation

**Aster's POV**

Two weeks later, Zane and I had flown to England to see Ollie. It seemed odd that we were taking a 12 hour direct flight to see the one man neither of us really wanted to ever see again. At first I was tense and nervous, thinking this could only end in disaster.

But…Jet lag has an interesting effect on people.

"Zane, I was thinking." I said when he came back from getting our rental car. I couldn't help but laugh at the face he was giving me. His eyebrow was cocked up; and his eyes looked over me like there was something wrong with me.

"Why are you talking so slow?"

I shrugged, stumbling to my feet from the seat. I had taken a couple pills to fend off the Jet Lag but apparently they didn't work. My mind was racing and had trouble focusing on one thing. Zane helped me up and held my arm as we walked. He helped me into our sleek rental car and took the driver's side.

"I was thinking…" I repeated as we drove through the night to our hotel room. Zane glanced at me bemused; taking great pleasure in my haze of confusion. "My parents got married July 22nd…..Maybe…we could get married then too?"

He frowned. "That's only two months away and we haven't even started planning."

"How hard can it be? We just…just needed to pick a venue, the decorations, make a guest list, send out invitations, pick out a wedding party…"

Zane held up his hand to stop me from rambling and laughed. "Okay, I get the picture. It that's what you want hero than…That's what we'll do. Not sure how dad will handle it."

Even in my current ditzy state, I could recall the details of Zane's father's history with my mother. After our stint in England we would be going to Greece to celebrate Grandpa Truesdale's (who apparently also knew my mother) birthday. The information had been hard to take at first. My father had revered my mother like a saint, so I had always assumed she saw him in a similar light. According to Zane, Sam and my mother had been in pretty deep love; making me wonder if my parent's love was one sided.

When we arrived at our hotel, Zane helped up the room. The minute my tired body fell upon the bed; I engulfed in exhaustion. All I could think about was sleep. Zane sat at the end of the bed; relaxing for the first time in hours. "We're meeting Louisa for breakfast tomorrow along with Mrs. Francis. Think you'll be okay enough to go?"

"I'm sure I'll sleep it off…" I said barely above a mumble. I stretched my legs across the bed and yawned. "After breakfast, are we going to go see Ollie?"

Zane nodded slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. "Our lawyer said that even with improvement, he'll probably have to spend the next two years there at least. And if he's ruled sane, then he'll go to trial. For the most part, this is just to see if he's going to be a threat behind hospital walls."

As Zane spoke, my eyes were closing. It wasn't that what he was saying held any disinterest. But the jet lag was making me tired—almost to the point of incomprehension. I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep—I barely remember giving into the darkness completely.

_I had a dream. An odd one at that. It made sense at first because it was at a church and I was standing at the end of an aisle. The pews were filled with friends and family. A priest stood at the altar with Zane, who was wearing a black tuxedo. When I looked down, I was wearing a white tuxedo just slightly fancier than my old white suit. It dawned on me that this was my wedding day. _

"_Are you ready?" Sartorius asked offering his arm. One the other side, Sirena was offering her arm. Of course I would ask them to give me away. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to do so. With a nod, I entwined both my arms with hers and we proceeded down the aisle. _

_With quick, nervous steps, I noticed just how many of our friends were there. Jaden and Jesse were holding hands as they stood up quickly. Larius was sitting next to Atticus as they offered supportive smiles. I smiled back meekly; I considered them to be my 'ironic' friends since Atticus had once dated Zane, and Larius was the D's son. Syrus and Chazz were whispering back and forth; no doubt another little argument about their lives. But when I was close enough, my eyes were only set on my future husband._

_I hardly noticed when Sartorius and Sirena handed me to Zane. My eyes were caught on his and they couldn't be bothered to look anywhere else. I wasn't normally the dumb-love-struck kind of person, but my emotions seemed to over-ride any sense of dignity I had left. For this one time, I allowed myself to be a little mushy for my fiancée. _

"_You look good." I said, my voice giving off a teasing tone. He smiled back._

"_Not bad yourself." He said looking me up and down. "I like the dress."_

"_Dress?" I murmured. I looked down to see that my white tuxedo was gone—replaced with a puffy, lacey wedding dress. What the hell?_

_When I looked up again, Zane was gone. In his place was Samuel Truesdale. I looked at my future father-in-law in horror. This wasn't right! What was going on? Where was my real fiancée? And why was his father in his place?_

_My heart sank when I caught my reflection in his glasses—except it wasn't my reflection. My mother's face was staring back at me. Green eyes meeting blue. Horror meeting horror. My stomach turned unnaturally—I felt ready to puke. I covered my face and took two steps back, almost tripping on my dress._

"_What's happening?" I practically screamed. _

"_Shiloh, what's wrong?" Sam asked me in a confused voice. That's it. I had to get out of here. Now before this got any worse._

_It was too late. When I turned, a woman's body was lying on the floor—she was pale and still, showing all the signs of death. Her long, curly, blonde hair filled me with dread. _

_I knelled down and turned her over. Another scream came over me. The woman who lay dead at my feet—was Rissa Truesdale._

"Aster! Aster, wake up!" I sat up and gasped. Zane was next to me within moments, rubbing my back slowly. "Easy—Relax. You must have had one hell of a dream."

It was dark. While I was still in my t-shirt and brown pants from the earlier flight, Zane had dressed in his pajamas. "How long was I asleep?"

He turned to glance at the clock. "It's three now so…About five hours. What happened hero? I thought you were in trouble."

His soothing touch made my tense muscles relax. Together with my jet lag and apparent shock, I had almost forgotten what had happened in the dream. But after a moment of thought, it all came back to me. "It was our wedding day. It was great at first but then…I was in a dress."

"You were screaming over a dress?" Zane asked in a hesitant voice. I shook my head, despite how horrible that situation would have been.

"No, I mean, that was pretty horror worthy too…But then you were gone and your father was there; and I had turned into my mother…" I leaned into his arms and sighed. "And…you're mother was lying dead on the floor. That's what was making me scream.

Zane froze when I had told him that particular part. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know." I admitted. His muscles relaxed and he pulled me down with him. My head hit the pillow simultaneously with his. "It could mean anything—it could be nothing. Just a reaction to every that's gone on."

As we drifted back to sleep; I told myself more and more that I was right. The dream was my mind trying to process the discovery of Sam and my mother's past. Nothing more.

At least, that's what I hoped it was.

**Zane's POV**

"Zane! Aster!" Louisa yelled when we entered the café later that day. Aster yawned as we made our way back to the table where my old protégée and a plump woman with graying-brown hair was sitting. "Aster, Zane, this is Howard Francis…. Ronny's mother." She said the name with a heavy amount of pain and regret. Even months after his death, Louisa considered herself responsible for his death.

I extended my hand towards Mrs. Francis. "It's a pleasure to meet you; I'm sorry for your loss. Your son was a good man."

Mrs. Francis took my hand "Thank you; it's been difficult since his death. It'd be nearly impossible if Louisa hadn't been around."

Aster bowed to Mrs. Francis. "Aster Phoenix. It's nice to meet you." She offered him a friendly nod and we sat down across the two women. After placing our orders and a few minutes of small-talk, I dared to ask Louisa the question on everyone's heads.

"How are things with your family? Mainly Ollie?"

Louisa sighed and sank in her seat. "Well, my parents are still waiting to go on trial. My dad made a bargain with the police, but my mom's refusing to confess to Ronny's murder….As for Ollie, he's doing fairly well."

"How well is fairly well?" Aster asked in a groggy voice. He was out cold for most of last night, but a nightmare had sucked what was left of his energy this morning.

Mrs. Francis scowled at the mention of Ollie. Obviously, she wasn't a fan. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he's completely cured but…something's different with his personality. Before, he was quiet and distant, even when he was with Ronny, he barely talked. Now, Ollie talks all the time—he makes these weird observations and jokes. It's like he's still insane, but in a completely different way."

I couldn't imagine a 'differently insane' Ollie. Frankly, I didn't think you got crazier than trying to kill your boyfriend's ex by killing his current boyfriend. But the tone in Louisa's voice told me something she didn't want to say; she was afraid. Of what? I wasn't sure. As far as I knew, Ollie had never tried to hurt his little sister—but maybe this 'new' Ollie was unpredictable even to Louisa. Perhaps this new Ollie was a much bigger threat than the old one.

()

"Ollie, you have some visitors." Louisa whispered. I was expecting Ollie's room to be padded with him in a strait jacket. It looked no different than a regular hospital room, and Ollie was lying comfortably across his bed. I almost wondered if the patient I was staring at was in fact, Orville Duncan. He was dawning a pair of white scrubs with fluffy cotton-like slippers, nowhere near the black and rough clothing he had worn during his dueling career. His long, black hair was cut, leaving him with a short, well-groomed look. The only sign of his former attitude was his tattoos which apparently hid the scars his parents had inflicted on him.

He looked up from his book and jumped when his eyes landed on me. I felt my teeth grind against each other when he gave us his old, creepy smile—the kind that nightmares were made out of.

"Zaney, Aster…So glad you two could make it. And Mrs. Francis…Why, everyone is here!" He said in a strangely excited voice. I was on my guard as he closed his book and set it on the end table. "Wishing well for yours truly. I feel special!"

Mrs. Francis seemed to turn red behind me. After everything Ollie had caused for Ronny while he was alive, I guess I couldn't blame her. Aster tensed and stayed close to my side. Despite this, Ollie's optimism never faded.

He sighed happily and looked around. "So, how are things going? Are you two still fuck-buddies? And how about Atti? I bet he misses me a lot."

"Ollie…" Louisa warned.

"What? I'm just being a considerate host. Wouldn't want them to stop visiting now would I?" Ollie stood from his bed and stretched his muscles. Speaking as he did so. "I'm actually glad Zane came; I wanted to talk to him…"

"Well, he's right here…" Aster said in a protective tone. Ollie rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I was hoping I could speak to him alone…Louisa why don't you take Aster and Mrs. Francis and… I don't know; show them the schizophrenics or something."

Aster held my hand and gave me a pleading look. He didn't want me alone with Ollie; and honestly, I didn't want to be left alone with him. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to why he wanted to speak to me. Not to mention, this was the perfect opportunity to see just how dangerous he was now. It wasn't like there was anything in the room he could hurt me with anyway.

"I'll be fine…Why don't you go sit down for awhile? You look you're going to fall over?" I told Aster. He gave me a questionable glance, to which I answered with a stern look of my own. Aster sighed and released my hand.

"Leave the door open." Aster commanded as he, Louisa, and Mrs. Francis walked out the door, leaving it wide open in case I needed assistance. Ollie didn't seem bothered by my fiancées distrust. Instead, he sat back on the bed, bringing his legs into a crossed position.

"Alone at last." Ollie said, watching as I leaned against the wall. "Thank god too, I don't Mrs. Francis likes me very much. Whenever Louisa brings her around, she always gives me the stink eye."

"Well, from what I heard, you didn't exactly treat Ronny with respect." I answered; annoyed to be shooting the shit with my attempted murderer.

Ollie seemed to light up at the mention of Ronny's name. "Ah yes…Let's just Ronny and I were star-crossed lovers….I really felt bad when I heard he had passed on…But time will do its usual work; death has." Ollie laughed for no apparent reason. Was there a joke I missed? "Oh come on… Time will do his usual work; death has? It was what Lord Bryon said about his daughter's death. Get it? I was making a joke about Ronny and his name sake."

"Hilarious." Even though every minute my hand wasn't making contact with his face, made my blood pressure rising.

"Wow, tough crowd. I guess Atti was never really interested in a man with humor though."

I had enough. At least when Ollie was a psychopathic killer, he was quiet. "What do you want to talk to me about Ollie?"

He pretended to be hurt; even going as far as to place a hand over his chest. "Zaney, why do you always assume I have an ulterior motive? Because I slept with Atticus all that time ago? That's ancient history." I'd hardly call two years, ancient history.

"Because you tried to kill me by running down my boyfriend!" I said with a low growl.

"I don't want to talk about that." He said with a wave of his arm like it wasn't a big deal. I clenched my fist closed; digging my nails into my palm to keep myself calm. "That's all the doctors wanted to talk about when I started getting better. They said the reason I wanted to kill you was because I was angry at the way my parents tried to control me, and the only to deal with it was to inflict misery on others."

"And is that true, Ollie?" I asked sarcastically. He shrugged.

"It was always my understanding that I was trying to kill you because I hated you." He said with his creepy smile.

"Really? I thought you did it because you were a crazy freak."

He sucked in a large air of breath. "Actually, the doctors prefer the term 'mentally ill'… I think you need to be a little more sensitive towards other people Zaney."

"Stop calling me that!" I yelled, taking two steps away from the wall. I had enough of this. The only thing I was getting from this conversation was that somehow, Ollie had managed to become crazier than he was before. And more annoying too. I pointed a finger towards his face. "You're never getting out of here Ollie; and if you do, it will only be to a jail cell because hell will freeze over before I let you get away with anything you've done!"

Ollie seemed indifferent to my shouting. "You're right Zane… I'm never leaving." He said simply. I was caught off guard by what he said. He was giving in? He was willingly going to spend the rest of his life in the mental institution. He decided to explain it. "You see, for so many years I struggled; trying to hold on to my sanity—looking for an answer to what was wrong to me. But now I finally have my answer… I'm just insane."

"Yes, it was hard to swallow at first but really it's not so bad. You don't have to worry about the world around you, I'm finally away from my fucking miserable excuse called parents, and best of all…I can't be held accountable for what happens in my life." Ollie had a strikingly evil glint in his eye. Something different than what I had ever witnessed from him before. This was the look of a serial killer. "Every day could be different—one day, I could be resting comfortably in my bed, or…I could wake up on a beach never knowing how I got there. Hell, I could be escaping from a burning fire, only to realize I started it in the first place."

My look must have showed some fear. Because his smile grew wider. "Oh don't worry; I don't plan on burning you or anyone else you love alive. That would be uninteresting….Actually, my interest in you…doesn't amount to a lot these days. I'm more interested in different things. Like my folks for example…or, maybe some other long lost relatives I don't know about."

"What do you…" My voice trailed off when he picked his book off from the nightstand. He started to read it again; his attention obviously no longer on me.

He glanced up after a moment or so. "You are wrong about one thing…I may never leave this place again, but I'm not staying in this hospital."

I was confused by what he said but the conversation was obviously over. Just as well, my frustration was starting to boil over.

It was painfully obvious that Ollie was no safer than before. But he wasn't dangerous either. He had admitted himself that he wasn't completely well—and his stupid riddles were nothing more than that. Pointless sounds from a madman. As long as Ollie was here, he could be as insane as he wanted.

There was only one thing that seemed dangerous about him; and that was as always his smile.


	7. The Dead

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 7: The Dead

**Zane's POV**

"Not what you were expecting?" She said more as a statement than a question. Louisa was sitting on a bench near the hospital room. I was surprised to find she was the only one there.

"Where's Aster?"

"He nearly passed out—Mrs. Francis insisted that he see an on staff Doctor." What? Why wasn't I pulled out of the room? I was about to set forth to find my fiancée when Louisa jumped up and stopped me. "Relax, he's fine. He's just a little sick from the jet lag still—I got it bad when I flew back from Japan, but Mrs. Francis didn't believe me….Besides, Aster wanted you to finish talking to Ollie so he said he'd come back after he's done."

I forced myself to relax; reminding myself that I couldn't have a heart attack every time something happened to Aster. Besides—it did give me a chance to talk to Louisa about Ollie. "Well, it didn't do us much good. The only thing I learned is that I liked him better when he didn't talk."

"So it's not just me?" Louisa asked. Her eyes were filled with dread and concern. "When we were kids, there would be days where Ollie wouldn't say a word, but since his improvement he seems to talk all the time and it's…just not like him."

I shrugged. "Before he wasn't really technically insane. Deranged, yes…Insane? Not certifiably. Maybe now he's…."

"Really insane? That's what he said but it doesn't make sense to me. It's almost like he wants us all to know it. Like a magician pulling up his sleeves." She sighed and combed her hair back with her fingers. "Did he tell you that he has no desire to leave the mental institution? Even if his lawyers can fight with insanity?"

"Yes…" I agreed. "It's obvious he's up to something. I just don't know what."

"Well, I'll just have to keep a close eye on him—it will be hard with my mom's trial coming up but it's not like he's going anywhere now." It was then I noticed just how tired the young girl looked. I doubt that Louisa, even with her freedom, ever had a moment to rest between Ollie, her parents, and everything else in her life. I couldn't fathom the responsibility she felt for the messed up family she belonged to.

Oh right, speaking of family. "So, on another topic, did you know I was your cousin when you sought me out?"

Her muscles stilled at my question. She tried to cover it over at first. "I'm your cousin? No way…" When my eyes narrowed, she sighed again and crossed her arms. "Alright fine, yeah I knew. But I'm the only one who knew besides my grandparents. My grandmother had tried to hide any proof that your mother had ever existed from our family was hard since my grandfather had kept a chest full of stuff about her."

"He did? According to his letter, his didn't want his wife to find out so he didn't keep any evidence around."

"He couldn't help it I guess. The chest had all sorts of stuff about Clarissa….Her birth announcement, news paper clippings, even pictures a P.I. must have taken. My grandmother didn't know a thing until she and I found it." Louisa shrugged. "It was probably for the better—The Jarvis's were about as family friendly as the Duncan's were."

I didn't ask; I took her word for it. By now, Louisa must have known a thing or two about messy families. It was my hope that my mother would never meet her half-sister or her nephew. I would like to introduce Louisa to her one day; but right now, things were too hectic. It was better to leave my mother in the dark as to whom exactly her relatives were.

()

We left shortly after Aster came back. I let him nap the rest of the afternoon but by nighttime his jet lag had worn off enough that he had wanted to get out and do something.

"Anywhere is fine." He said with a bored tone of voice. "I just can't take anymore of this room, and it's going to make tomorrow's plane ride hell."

St. James monument was a church a long time ago. Now it was a lonely building on a hill—serving only to impress tourists. But every once in awhile, the High Players Orchestra would play on the hill next St. James monument, and people would watch by the picnic side. I remembered how my mom raved endlessly about how great the music was, or how my dad had tried to learn violin after listening to them play. I decided seeing the orchestra was a relaxing enough of an activity.

"You're not going to propose to me this time, are you?" He joked while taking a sip of the crystal champagne I had bought. Come to think of it; it seemed like we always ended up on a picnic blanket drunk and aroused. Although, I don't think the other patrons would appreciate the aroused part as much as we would.

"You think I'm going to give you a ring every picnic? Sorry, I'm not made of money." I found myself sprawled out with my head lying against his lap. It was soothing and made it easier to hear the orchestra song. According to Aster, they were playing a song from the opera Carmen. His explanation being that his father was a big opera fan.

The sun was setting behind the church and the warm colors were beginning to fade. As the mystery of night began to take over; I noticed the church held up torches that reflected light off the wood of the instruments.

"Maybe we should have an orchestra play at the wedding."

"Hmmm?" I looked up, almost missing what he had said.

His hand brushed the hair away from my face. "I was saying that we should have an orchestra play at our wedding—in fact; make the whole thing a Victorian style event. Find a church like that one."

He pointed to the St. James church. I had to admit, I could very easily see myself getting married to Aster here. Dancing to a ritzy orchestra song by the light of the church. Smiling down at my husband with adoration in front of all our friends and family. The image seemed right to me.

"Why don't we just get married here then?" I suggested. "Here, at St. James church?"

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't this a little far from our friends and family?"

I shrugged. "Not really. It's about a four hour plane ride for my parents, and our friends are pretty use to travelling anyway."

Aster gazed at the church. His mind storming up the potential a wedding here could bring. It'd be beautiful that much was for sure. It'd be fitting for the two of us. Aster would enjoy the classic feel of it; and I'd have a happy fiancée.

He chuckled gently and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Well, I guess we have our place."

**Aster's POV**

"Hello boys." It was early afternoon when we arrived at the Truesdale's beach residence. We frowned when Rissa wasn't smiling. Her normally happy exterior was worn down by some kind of depression.

Did she find out about Caroline? I winced at the idea. Maybe it was a bad idea to tell her about her father and sister.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

She sighed, looking at Zane with sorrowful eyes. "We had to cancel the party—your grandpa's very ill Zane."

()

It turned out that a few days ago, William Truesdale, or grandpa Truesdale as he often referred to as, caught a pretty fever. A normal man might have been able to shake it off no problem, but William was nearing 80 years old and had lung problems from years of smoking—his immune system was so knocked down that even the simplest cold could cause hell.

Sam had emerged from what I assumed to be his father's bedroom with a trey in hand. He gave me a small nod but didn't look me in the face to do so. Zane wrapped an arm around me to ease my obvious discomfort. "Has he seen a doctor?"

Rissa nodded slowly. "He gave us antibiotics and if he doesn't get better, he's going to be admitted into the hospital." My mother glared at my father when he reached into his pocket. "Samuel, there better not be cigarettes in there…"

My father pulled his hand out quickly and cleared his throat. "Maybe he'd feel better if you spent a few minutes with him Zane?...I think I should explain the situation to Aster."

Zane and I looked to each other—the situation was clear as day, but it wasn't what Sam was making it out to be. He wanted to talk to me privately—probably about what had happened between him and my mother. I gave Zane an approving nod. He pulled away from my embrace to visit his grandfather. I trailed Sam out to the porch.

"I assume my son has told you about my relationship with your mother?" He began rather formal-like.

"Yeah, he did." I said softly, trying to suppress the nightmare I had about it. "I guess that's why you don't like me very much."

He leaned against the rail, giving me a confused look. "Who said I didn't like you?"

"Well, I just assumed..." I rubbed my arm nervously; finding the conversation more awkward than I would have liked. "I mean, you never really tried to talk to me and you were really angry when Zane and I announced our engagement—I didn't think that was all because of my mother."

"Well, anyone in my family would tell you that I'm a hard person to befriend." He admitted, pulling a forbidden cigarette out of his jacket and lighting it. "And it is because of your mother…"

"We were both too intelligent for our own good. It made it difficult to engage people and make friends. So a lot of the time, during our studies it was just she and I… I was madly in love with her but Shiloh didn't think it was possible to love anyone without a blood connection; but she figured being with someone she liked to be around was better than being with no one."

A great sorrow filled Sam's eyes. The cigarette shook gently in his hand—this was the most emotion I had ever seen from him. "I asked her to marry me—multiple times. But Shiloh had always come up with a reason not to. I was stupid; I was convinced one day she would see we were meant to be. But I was wrong; she did eventually begin to believe in love, but that was only after she met your father. I was heartbroken; she began spending more time with him than she did with me."

"He invited her to see this author that was speaking at his college. She broke up with me right before she left, telling me that we were never in love; we were only convenient for each other. I didn't believe it. I followed her there, hoping to change her mind or if nothing else, confront this Silas Phoenix for what he took from me…But much to my surprised, Rissa was there—and she made me realize Shiloh was right… We were never meant to be."

I tried to take in the words, but it was near impossible. I could only imagine the heart break my mother had inflicted on this man. It was odd how fate had brought him to Rissa on that the day that should have ruined his idea of love forever. I was somehow impressed by how the story turned out and how everyone ended up happy in the end.

"I still cared for Shiloh even after Rissa and I got married. Maybe more than I should have—and the pain carried with me long after she died. I guess that's why I was so opposed to you and Zane being together but…maybe this is what was meant to be." He offered me a sad, small, smile. The first one he had ever given me. It should have felt put-off but instead, I felt strangely satisfied. Sam was accepting me as his future son-in-law. "Maybe this is fate's way of fixing the past."

After a moment or so, I departed back into the house, letting Sam finish his cigarette. Rissa was facing away from me when I entered the house. She was bent over the sink—I thought she was doing the dishes until I heard a great heaving sob.

"Rissa? Are you alright?" She didn't face me. She tried to regain her broken breath to no avail. I walked forward and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. "Rissa?"

She jumped and turned to face me. Her eyes watering with tears. Even after she saw me, her panic didn't resolve. Only now she looked more like she had been caught as opposed to startled. I didn't understand this—what was she trying to hide?

Without a word, she ran past me and down the hall to where I figured her bedroom must be. Zane emerged just as his mother walked by. "Mom?" When she didn't acknowledge him, he looked to me for answers. "What happened?"

"I don't know…" I whispered. Unsure of what to make of her breakdown.

Then it occurred to me. What were the chances that Rissa overheard our conversation? It never once occurred to me that Rissa knew nothing of her husband's former love. Even though Sam said Rissa had saved his heart from completely breaking—he had also said some things that suggested he still loved my mother. What if Rissa came just in time to hear those things, but was too late for the first part of it.

My heart sank. What else could it be? Rissa had just found out her husband of almost two and a half decades had loved another woman—and as far she had heard; she had only been a consolation prize.


	8. Devastation

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 8: Devastation

**Aster's POV**

Syrus and Chazz arrived just in time for the drama. Zane and I were sitting on the couch ignoring the apparent yelling going on in the other room. Most of it coming from Sam. Rissa would occasionally retort with quiet, pain-filled, whispers. "What happened? Why are they fighting?"

"Mom found out one of dad's secrets." Zane explained to his younger brother. Syrus raised an eyebrow at this.

"My mom and your dad use to date but broke up right before your mom and dad left." I said using the shortened form of the story.

"Good god, do you all live in drama?" Chazz suddenly shouted. Zane and Syrus shushed him in harmony.

"Grandfather's probably sleeping you idiot!" Zane said in a hushed voice.

As if to defy Zane's words, we heard a door slam. Rissa tore through the room with a bag in her arm. My throat choked up; she was leaving.

Sam came following closely behind her. "Rissa, come back! This isn't done with!"

She turned to face each of us with tearful eyes. "I'm sorry boys…Sam, I can't stay here tonight. I need to get away." This seemed to hurt Sam more than anyone else. His eyes lowered with sorrow, as if he was trying to suppress his own tears.

"Rissa, listen to me. Zane and Aster are getting married, not me and Shiloh! For god sakes that was almost 25 years ago! Are you really going to walk out the door for something that dumb?"

For the first time, I saw raw anger in Rissa's eyes. She took two giant steps towards her husband. Despite her small height; she was fierce enough to destroy a city. "Okay Sam, I'll stay—but only if you look me in the eyes and tell me you've never looked for her in them. I want you to swear in front of me! In front of our sons! That you've never thought about how different your life would be if I was Mrs. Shiloh Truesdale!"

For once I wished that Sam could let down his cool exterior. I wanted him to tell her it wasn't true. He loved her and only her. Not just for Rissa, but for him too. If seeking justice for my father had taught me nothing else, it was that chasing a ghost was a pointless thing to do. The fact was, my mother never loved Sam—as far as he was concerned, she was dead a lot longer than almost 19 years. And as much I knew he loved Rissa, any attachment he still had to my mother was too much.

He didn't change his face; he stayed quiet. "That's what I thought." Rissa practically growled, turning towards the door once again. "I'll keep in touch with you boys…And if I mean anything to you, Samuel, you'll keep away from me and wait for my call."

It was quiet after Rissa slammed the door shut. Around me, I saw the remains of a broken family. Syrus looking away as if to hide his tears. Chazz pulling him close as to offer some kind of comfort. Zane was glaring at his father. His angry shouted a silent _What the hell?_ But this wasn't anymore Sam's fault than it was anyone else's. He couldn't be faulted for being honest—or that something so old and dead came back to haunt him. Even if I wished with all my heart that he had lied; at least the truth came out.

Sam was still as a rock; watching the door as if to will Rissa back in. It wasn't working. After a few moments of silent prayer, he turned and walked back to his room. After the door shut, I heard a loud crash. We all winced; something had just been thrown in the master bedroom.

I heard the ringing of a bell. I was startled and confused but Zane sighed. "Grandfather needs something— "

I stopped him from going to the old man. "I'll go help him." Zane was to overcome by his emotions to do anything else. He nodded slowly and I went to tend to my soon to be grandfather-in-law.

If Sam Truesdale was a middle-aged version of Zane, than his father must have been the image of Zane's elderly years. The man's face was embedded with a variety of lines—age lines, laugh lines, stress lines. His steel eyes were half-lidded and while his hair could have been blue at one time; it certainly wasn't now. The man was still handsome; but in a way a mountain or sky could be beautiful.

His eyes flickered to me. He muttered something to himself. "Shi? Is that you?"

I paused; he thought I was my mother? I wasn't that feminine looking—besides, my mother would have been middle-aged if she were alive today. "No um…I'm not sure how to say this but, I'm her son."

The man blew out a large breath of air and laughed. He laughed until he started to cough. "Thank goodness—Sorry kid, I thought you were a hallucination for a moment." My anger resolved and I stepped closer to the bed.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, just…a little bug in the throat." He said with a motion to his neck. Once his coughing subsided, he leaned back against the bed. "I was just wondering what all the commotion was out there… I could only make out bits and pieces from the other room—I heard Shiloh's name so I thought maybe she had come back."

I shook my head. "No—she's been dead for years."

"Oh…Sorry, kid." He repeated, giving me a sympathetic look. How weird was that? A sick man was pitying me. "If…you don't mind me asking, how long ago?"

"18 years, 19 in September."

"And how old are you?"

I smiled grimly. "18, 19 in September." He laughed gently; in a way that didn't cause me to be put off.

"Maybe I should just stop talking…" Grandpa Truesdale coughed again. He had to clear his throat before he could continue. "You're mother was a hell of a woman though; one of the best students I ever had."

"So I've heard."

"Let me guess, your dad right? I would never say it to Samuel's face but—your father was always better for her than he was… I'm Bill by the way." The man weakly introduced. "I'm assuming you're this fiancée of Zane's Rissa keeps talking about?"

"Yeah, Aster Phoenix." I nodded politely. "It's nice to meet you."

He nodded back before his gaze went to the ceiling. "So, how mad was Rissa at Sam?" I shifted uncomfortably in my spot. "That bad huh?"

"She…walked out." I said frankly.

"Well, maybe it will be good for them." Bill shrugged. I raised an eyebrow; confused by the man's logic. "Sam needs to let go of Shiloh once and for all and Rissa needs to stand up for herself. I love Rissa like a daughter but—she needs more motivation to get the things she wants. If Syrus can do so; Rissa should be able to."

"How are you grandpa?" Zane had entered the room while we were speaking. He looked a little more composed now that he had digested what had just happened.

Bill smiled at his grandson. "I'm fine; just getting better acquainted with your loving fiancée here. I'm happy to say that the men in our family still have good taste." I gave the old man a friendly smirk. "You kids should get out of here, Zane why don't you show Aster here the beach? You don't want to sit here and watch a dying old man."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" I asked, ignoring the joke pertaining to death.

He waved his hand. "I'll be fine. Syrus and his loud-mouthed boyfriend are here right? They'll help if something goes wrong."

"Oh and by the way, Aster?" He said just as we had turned to walk out. "What kind of education do you have?"

"I have two PH.D's." I stated. He nodded thoughtfully.

"A chip off the old block, you're Shi's son alright…" He covered his mouth as he started to cough again. Zane pulled me to the door, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

"He'd do that even if he wasn't sick."

I was beginning to wonder just how much of Bill's joke was actually a joke.

**Zane's POV**

The water seemed never ending. If I could walk on water, I could almost believe I'd die doing so. When the breeze picked up, the sand would skirt across our clothes and shoes.

"Do you think your parents will be okay?" Aster asked as we walked down the beach. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. I had one arm wrapped around him as we walked.

"I don't know…" I said honestly. Aster sighed and I tightened my grip around him. "They do love each other and they've been together for more than 20 years…I doubt after that long they could find it in their hearts to leave one another."

"Poor Rissa." Aster said, stopping to stare out at the ocean. I stopped with him. "She's had so much happen to her lately—this was the last thing she needed."

He leaned down to untie his shoes. He surprised me when a smile came across his face. "Remember my birthday?"

How could I forget it? It was the first day I truly started to fall in love with him. Although I was familiar with my feelings at the time, I never would have guessed that the hung over miserable teenager I had taken to the lake would become the love of my life less than a year later. He took his socks off and stuffed them into his shoes—and then without much warning, reached for his shirt.

It was a layered t-shirt—the short-sleeve came off and I figured, maybe Aster was just getting warm. The night was growing humid. I was wrong. He took off his undershirt too.

"What are you doing?" I asked breathlessly. He smirked seductively, one hand rubbed down from his chest to his stomach to his pants.

"What does it look like?" He unbuttoned his pants and gently shook his waist until they fell down. He stepped away from them—left only in boxers. It didn't matter if I had seen what they concealed more times than I could count; my breathing became uneven in anticipation. "I'm going swimming—you're welcome to join me."

I watched as he walked towards the water; he disappeared for the most part into the darkness of night. Given into my more primal urges, I striped myself of my shirt. "Where exactly did this come from?"

"Well, I figured with everything that happened; you could really use a pick-me-up." Aster said, hands drifting just under the waistband of his boxer. "And…your grandfather kind of made me realize that we're living in the now. Neither of us are going to be here forever or even have the opportunity to do these things—hell; you and I have both almost died in the past year. We have to live like we're young now or die realizing we've been preparing for death all our lives."

"Wow…Poetic much?" My humor faded when he dropped his boxers. My brain refused to function as he stepped out of them. My fiancée was rising up some dark feelings inside of me. My desire at an all time high. I wanted him—I wanted to worship him like a Greek god. I wanted to show him exactly what it meant to live in the now.

"Well that and…I just really wanted to swim." He laughed as started walking into the calm water. He grunted and jumped at the cool temperature but sank deeper when his skin was use to the sensation.

I felt a growl rise through my throat. Enough standing here. Time to take action. I got naked in what could have been record time. I barely had the time to feel uncomfortable about the scar on my chest or anything else that might have set me back away from him. The water was where I needed to be. Aster was the person I needed to be with.

I descended down the beach and into the water with him. Damn, it was cold! I felt my skin prickle and resist the entrance into the water. But I stopped when his face was completely visible to me once again. He must have dunked his head underwater. His hair was soaking wet and flattened away from his face. A bead of water trailed down his temple, as if to beg me to wipe away. I did so and stroked his cheek. He smiled and brought his hands out of the water and ran them through my hair.

"That day on my birthday, did you think you and I would be skinny dipping in the ocean?" He said barely above a whisper. Him and I took a minute to laugh about the situation.

"Never." I leaned forward until my lips were just about to touch his—I enticed him to finish the distance. Our lips just barely meeting as we had our gentle, sensual kiss. Aster's teeth grazed my lip in a fastidious matter. I moaned and claimed his lips again—this time, with power and force. All my emotions (good, bad, or otherwise) were boiling into my uncontrollable need to love this boy. "God Hero—how can one person be so devastatingly wonderful?"

He leaned down to kiss and suck at my neck. I leaned my head back and groaned at the sensations he was causing me. He nipped ever so carefully at a vein. I let my legs wrap around his waist and allowed him to ravage me. His hands drifted everywhere they could move. Teasing and touching me until I was a panting, moaning, mess of a man.

Aster began floating us back to the land. I didn't even notice until my waist was completely revealed. I shivered desperately but not from the cold wind on my wet body. Aster laid me against the sand and kissed me. His lips trying to convey what his voice had trouble saying.

"I need you…" Was all he could say—it was all he had to say. I flipped us over so that he was in the sand and I was on top. With my face inches away from his, I cupped his chin and pulled him up for another kiss. "I love you." He mumbled against them.

"I love you too." I said after the kiss broke. I made love to him there on the beach, ignoring the great inconveniences on which it brought. The sand us dirty and rough, making skin to skin contact so much more different than it had been before. And since people (namely my parents) lived near this beach, we had to keep quiet.

But it was bliss all the same. I had never enjoyed love-making more than that moment. Perhaps it was because I was stressed and it brought me some relief. Maybe it was because we were in an exciting new location—a location some would consider dream-worthy. But the theory I accepted the most was that it reminded me of the day I took him to the lake for his birthday.

That day I didn't know Aster Phoenix would be my lover. Or that I would love him more than words could possibly say or scenery could possibly describe. That day I had been so painfully ignorant to the kind of happiness only Aster could bring me.

And now that I had him— I was no longer blind to life. I knew what it was to live.


	9. Misery

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Note- Hey guys! Just thought I'd make a quick announcement. I have decided that in order to avoid having a scene become anti-climatic, to write a much shorter 4th addition (5th if you count Live and Learn) to the Fun and Games series, in which Aster and Zane get married. For reasons which will be explained later on this story will be known as Black and White. I've posted a poll in which I'd like people to vote for a first dance song for Aster and Zane. I'm also taking song suggestions if anyone has any. Thanks and enjoy chapter 9 :)

Chapter 9: Misery

**Zane's POV**

It was my grandfather's birthday the next day. I felt guilty that so many different things had overwhelmed it; including my parent's current separation. I would have to try my best to make it a great day but knew it couldn't be complete without my mother.

"Damn it, Zane!" My father screeched suddenly, early in the morning. I looked up from the paper I was reading. I was still pretty upset with my father for allowing my mother to leave so easily. "Would you kindly explain to me why the shower floor is covered with sand?"

I covered my mouth to hide the smirk pertaining to last night's activities. After engaging in some late night fun, Aster and I had tried to rinse off in the water but apparently, not all the sand came off. So when we came back we took a late night shower—together.

My father gave me an impatient look. "Sorry dad, I'll clean it up."

"Sometime today maybe?" He said, ending the conversation to go spend time with Grandfather. I rolled my eyes and closed the paper. Whatever was left of my good mood was crushed by my father's anger—which should have been directed at himself.

"Is the coast clear?" Chazz asked from the hallway. I nodded and he walked into the kitchen, pulling a chair up next to me. Setting his cup down next to him. "Man, your dad's on the war path. He almost made Syrus cry this morning."

"For what?"

"For making coffee. Apparently, your dad only drinks decaff and no one thought to make a pot. Didn't you and your lover boy hear…never mind." He looked away when I gave him the smirk I had hidden from my father.

"Syrus knows not to take it personally; my dad gets like this whenever my mom goes away—good terms or otherwise. Where is Syrus anyway?"

"Checking on Rissa. He said he knows where she's staying." Chazz leaned back in his chair and sighed. "So, you and Aster are really going through with this wedding thing?"

"Yeah..." I said slowly with a raised eyebrow. "We just picked a date out… Why?"

Chazz was quiet for several moments before he spoke. "I'm thinking…I…its stupid!" He covered his face with his hair to hide the embarrassment. I comprehended what he was trying to say fairly easily.

"Chazz, are you thinking about asking my brother to marry you?"He blushed to a dark shade of red and shook his head.

"No! Of course not!"

I was more amused by this than I probably should have been. Chazz, the guy who claimed to be so in love with Alexis—Mr. I don't need anyone or anything, was so in love with Syrus, that he was considering marriage.

I remembered when they first started dating. Chazz had said up and down he was only dating Syrus until he grew tired of him. At first it had made no difference to Syrus. He just wanted to know what romance was like for once in his life. But somehow, it started to matter to both of them, and it was almost too late before either one realized it.

"Whatever you say." Was the last thing I said about the subject before I heard a bedroom door open and close. Aster appeared from the hallway, stretching his arms as he entered the kitchen. Even with his pajamas and robe on—all I could picture was him naked and wet in the ocean water.

"Oh god…" Chazz said, taking note of Aster's cheery attitude. He stood up and picked his coffee mug up. "I'm going to take a shower and get dressed before you two make me vomit."

I couldn't resist making one final part. "You might want to clean up the sand first, thanks."

Chazz stopped; his shoulder shook for a brief moment before continuing on his routine. Once he was gone, Aster strolled over to me, wrapping his arms around my neck. I wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled up at him.

"You in a good mood today." I said seductively. "That wouldn't have anything to do with our little swim would it?"

"Maybe." He planted a small kiss on my lips and smiled against them. "Or maybe I'm just happy I don't have to clean up the bathtub."

I laughed and stroked his side. "You should have seen my father. He was pissed, and apparently, he got after Syrus over decaff coffee."

"Really? So he taking your mom's absence out on everyone else?"

"Yeah…turns into a real asshole when she leaves." My humor fell and I leaned my head against him. Aster's hand rubbed my upper back. "I almost thought she'd be back by this morning since it was grandfather's birthday but… I think he really did a number on her this time."

My mother was in all honesty a delicate woman. Too much information could send her over the edge. She might have been able to deal with finding her father's true identity or finding out that my dad had once been in love with Aster's mother. But all that plus finding out he still somewhat loved her? Nearly impossible to deal with.

Syrus walked through the door and was startled by Aster and I. "Whoa, hey... Didn't you learn anything from last time?"

Aster pulled away from me. "It wasn't like we were having sex on the dinner table. You and your boyfriend jump to such bold conclusions."

"We usually have good reason to." Syrus said sitting down at the table. "I've looked everywhere for mom and all her friends didn't even know she left home. And she won't answer her phone…It's like she disappeared into thin air."

That was unlike my mother. Usually she'd let somebody know where she was going even if it was just a short trip to the store. If she hadn't informed dad; then usually she'd tell one of her friends.

Then again, this was a different kind of situation. My parents had never had marital problems before. "Maybe she just went to the island for a few days to clear her head."

"But she said she'd call us... And mom usually does whether we know she will it or not."

"Zane! Get in here now!" My father's frantic screams sent me flying out of my chair. Syrus and Aster followed closely after me as I burst into my grandfather's room. I wasn't prepared for the horror that flashed before my eyes.

My father using chest compressions to perform CPR on my grandfather, who didn't appear to be breathing. We were all horror-stuck as my father attempted to save his father's life—refusing to stop or slow down, instead he kept a steady rhythm.

"Someone needs to call an ambulance and someone needs to help me!"He growled. I had learned CPR a long time ago during a summer off of duel academy. Since I was prominent figure and leader of the Obelisk dorms, it seemed logical that I should be able to take charge in case of an emergency. It was defiantly awhile ago but any type of training would be useful.

Aster was by my father's side first; relieving him of his duty. Aster apparently was fairly familiar with the art of CPR as he performed it on my elderly grandfather—counting the compressions as he did so. I could hear Syrus talking hysterically to an operator. I vaguely recall hearing Chazz come into the room and throwing his family name around to the same operator.

The five minutes it took them to arrive was too late. As soon as Aster switched with me and I started CPR, I knew he was gone. I continued anyway, trying to force away the memories of my grandfather.

"_So you're really into this duel thing, huh Zane?" I smiled up and looked at my grandfather; doing so to please him just as any five year did with their grandparents. "Well, you certainly have the talent for it, are you going to be like Yugi Motou?"_

_My father laughed when my face grew red. "Grandpa! Seto Kaiba is my favorite duelist, I want to be just like him!"_

_()_

_Five years later, I had just won the series championship in my local little-league game. My grandfather brought a proud arm around me. "Way to go, kid! You still have the Truesdale magic!"_

_()_

"_You shouldn't be so hard on Syrus, Zane… He's not like you." The first time I had ever been mad at my grandfather. After we returned home, Syrus had stomped off to his room, sobbing like his life had ended. All because I had stopped him from making a huge mistake—one that would prove to be more scaring than if he had lost to the bully. "Syrus doesn't have a bite or a bark—if someone kicks him, then he's down. But the only way he'll ever learn to defend himself is if he learns from his mistakes."_

"_That bully would have ripped him to shreds! I did him a favor!" _

_Grandpa sighed. "He would have healed and moved on. I'm not sure if he'll be able to come back from this."_

_()_

"_I'm proud of you, Zane." He told me with a firm handshake at my graduation party. I feel a sense of joy wash over me. Up until this point, I had only been his little grandson—now when looked at me, he looked at me like I was a man. "You're going to go on to do great things."_

_()_

"_You were supposed to do great things!" He wheezes—by this point, his lungs problems have begun to descend. Even in my guise as Hell Kaiser, I am concerned for his health. My face refuses to show it. "How do you think father would feel if he knew? What about your poor mother?"_

_I sigh in annoyance. "I've changed Bill; if you don't like it, don't stick around to watch it."_

_He shakes his head, giving me a look that I can't freeze over. "Knock off the Bill shit, kid— you may have changed, but I'm still your grandfather." _

_The argument escalates, and he leaves—he never told my parents about my transformation. At first, I thought it was because he wanted to protect them. Later on, I realize it's because he still respects me. And even if he doesn't approve, he accepts the choices I've made. _

_()_

"_This fiancée? Is he the same kid who— "_

"_Yeah he is." This scene was the freshest in my mind solely because it happened last night. My grandfather nodded knowingly. _

"_I've seen his pictures; he looks a lot like a student I use to have." _

"_He's Shiloh's son."_

"_I figured as much… It's kind of funny actually." Coughs rack his body—like they have for the past year or so. "Shi almost ruined your father but her son… well; he makes you happier than I've seen you in a long time. You are happy, right Zane?"_

"_Of course I am." I respond with a caring smile. My grandfather smiles back. _

"_Just like the day you won the little league game?"_

_I laugh softly and nod. "Yeah, just like that day." _

"_Then you must be doing something right—something great…"_

"Zane?" When I opened my eyes, my vision was hazy with tears. My head nautilus from what had just happened. I was shocked to see that Aster and I were sitting on the floor; I was practically in his lap. I looked around to see that the commotion was over. There was a sober calmness in the room. My father was speaking quietly to the EMT's. My brother and Chazz were gone. My grandfather's body had been covered with a sheet—fresh tears started poking at my eyes. "Is your chest hurting at all? Are you having any problems with your heart?"

I shook my head slowly—my heart was surprisingly still intact. Aster breathed a sigh of relief. "You're blood pressure was skyrocketing—they thought for sure you were going into cardiac arrest. I had to pull you away from…from him."

One more glance at my grandfather's body was all it took to send me overboard again. I stood up from my fiancée's arms and quickly exited the room. I choked on my sobs as I tried to run away from the fact that my grandfather was dead. The one person I knew who could empathize with my heart problems and facing your body's mortality. The man who had always tried to make a better person out of me, and shrugged it off when I didn't reach his expectations. He was gone; his suffering was at an end.

Our suffering would only grow.

**Aster's POV**

I got up and followed Zane to his room. I might have given him at least a few minutes to grieve alone but not after he almost had a heart attack. As much as he might need his space; I needed him alive.

Zane went into the guest bedroom he and I were occupying. I just barely managed to stop the door from slamming in my face and pushed it open slowly—just in time to see Zane release a heavy sob and dissipate into tears.

"Zane…" I whispered softly before crossing the room to him. His arms wrapped themselves around me and held on for dear life. Like if he let go; I would die too.

Zane shook and cried my arms—I had never in my life seen him so out of control with his emotions. He had cried in front of me before—but no more than a tear or two usually. Then again, he had never lost someone so close to him.

It was hard to believe that less than 24 hours ago, Zane and I were on top of the world. Then we were celebrating life as opposed to mourning it; at Bill's suggestion at that. Now he was a man in shambles and I was trying to mend his broken heart.

"I didn't…even say goodbye." He managed to say after an undeterminable amount of time.

"I know."

"I didn't know it was going to happen…"

"No one did." I pulled my face back so I could look him in the eyes, my hands tracing the line of his cheek bones. "Believe me though; it wouldn't have made a difference if you did say goodbye to him—it'd still hurt like hell."

My thumb brushed away tears as they came down his face. He looked at me with horrified curiosity. "Did it hurt this much when your dad died?"

The question struck a little too close to home for my comfort, but I countered my distraught fiancée with another question. "What does it feel like?"

"I feel sick." He said simply. "I feel like it's not real. Like I'll walk out there and he'll be there—but, it just hurts because… I know it's not true."

I nodded, surprised to find that I did in fact empathize. "Then yeah, it did."

His tears slowed down considerably. His eyes were still cold but now they retained a numb look. "Shit, Aster, how did you deal with this? Especially since you were just a little kid…"

"You learn how to cope." I said with a humorless laugh. I brought his hand up to my face and nuzzled it. "You learn…or you die too."

After a few minutes of just touching and soothing, Zane was completely tranquil. Without realizing it, we had sat down on the bed. Talking. Sharing our pain. Sometimes Zane would tell me about a joke his grandfather had told him; sometimes I would say something that I missed about my dad.

After awhile he sighed. Rubbing his temples to relieve the headache in his brain. "I'm sorry I asked that question about your dad…I know how you feel about…"

"Don't be sorry." I decided, my hand encasing itself into his. "By now, I know that I'm hardly the only person in the world who has lost someone…And if I could help you in anyway well…what better of a way, right?"

"I just don't know how you did it." He said shaking his head. "How could an eight year old boy handle being…?"

"Orphaned?" People often had trouble finishing the sentence. "Like I said, you either learn or you die…there isn't much else you can do. I did it by focusing on revenge—telling myself that one day, my father's murderer would get his just rewards."

"But well, we all know how that went." Zane weakly smiled and squeezed my hand.

"Who am I going to seek revenge against? Some virus? His lungs?"

"Well—you could always focus on me—your grandfather seemed to like me." He laughed and took one hand away to wrap around my shoulder.

"He did, didn't he? Too bad he won't be around for the wedding." The thought was interrupted when I felt Zane's phone vibrate against his leg. He pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and sighed. "It's mom…"

He answered the phone. "Hi Mom—where are you? Something terrible happened…"I was expecting to hear frantic cries of concern; instead, Zane's face formed into confusion. "What are you talking about? Your where?…Why? Well never mind…Mom, grandfather just died, you have to come back as soon as possible... What could possibly be so important that you can't fly back from England?

As soon as he said it, his eyes met mine. He had just hit the same realization I had. There was only one thing in England that could be so important that Rissa would have to go immediately. And that was to meet her long-lost sister.

"Mom; listen to me…No you need to hear it! Aster and I have met her. She's not a good woman, and if seek her out, you're going to be disappointed with what you find!"

It seemed like forever when Rissa finally answered. By this time, it had become so silent I could vaguely hear what she had said. I wasn't sure if it was a hundred percent accurate—but it was close enough that I paled as soon as she said it.

"I know—but it's too late now. I love you, Zane."

The line went silent—Zane's eyes were wide as he comprehended what his mother had said. Nothing needed to be said. The situation was very clear.

Rissa had met Caroline—and now she was in danger.


	10. Fraternizing with the Enemy

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 10: Fraternizing with the Enemy

**Aster's POV**

"Louisa, thank god—we have big problems." I was calling Louisa Duncan from the terminal of the Greek airport we had just left yesterday. Sam and Zane were frantically ordering tickets for the next flight to England.

"Yeah, you're telling me! I guess you heard about my mom?" I paused, keeping one eye on my boyfriend. He had lost his grandfather not more than an hour before now—too much more stress could send him into cardiac arrest.

"What about your mom?"

The line was silent for a full minute before she answered. "She accepted a plea bargain for jail time, but then took off before she could be transferred to prison…No one knows how she did it! It'd be almost impossible without help from…"

"An outside force…" Oh god—Rissa couldn't have. My future mother-in-law couldn't have been capable of helping a criminal escape—no matter what the relation was to her. Could she.

"Yeah exactly, is there something I should know?"

I groaned and leaned back into my chair. "I'll tell you about it when we get to England. It's a 4 hour flight so…"

"Aster, there's something else you should know—the last person who talked to my mother…It was Ollie and…They want to take him out of the mental institution so he can help find her…"

"I'll see you soon." I tried to sound civil and calm when I said it but in reality, I was fuming. How could this happen? A murderer was on the loose and had the power to do god knows what to Rissa. This was spiraling out of control. There was no control.

"Here, your plane will be leaving so you have to get going." I looked up to see Sam, extending a plane ticket in my direction. I gave him a confused look.

"You're not going with us?"

He shook his head. "Zane thinks me going after Riss will only put her off more… And I can't say at this point I can disagree." My face released its tension for just a spilt moment. It was the conversation Sam had with me that started this whole mess. And even though it could have been prevented if he had told Rissa the truth much sooner—I still felt guilty that I had helped set things in motion.

"I'm sorry, Sam… For everything." I whispered. "For what my mother did to you and what it's caused now."

He spared me a sympathetic glance and sighed. "Aster, what happened between your mother and I is ancient history. I love Rissa more than I have ever loved another woman and that includes your mother. And in a way, I have Shiloh to thank for meeting her… In fact," He reached into his pocket and produced an opened envelope. "I think you should have this now. "

I carefully reached out to take both the plane ticket and the envelope. I raised an eyebrow at Sam who laughed gently. "You'll see when you read it… Just please…" He frowned as he said this; never before had I seen Sam so filled with sorrow. "Get Rissa home safely."

After that parting note, I joined Zane over in the terminal. Soon after we were aboard the plane and on our way to England. Half way through the flight, my nerves had settled enough that I allowed myself to look inside the envelope Sam had given me—it was a letter. I took it out and read it— not just a letter, but one from my mother.

_Dear Sam,_

_Words can not express how much joy you have brought into my life. You made me understand that people are in fact trustable—even if love didn't exist. And for that I thank you._

_However—another man has showed me what you were never able to despite your best efforts. I have fallen in love with a man named Silas Phoenix. This is not a matter of choice. You are all I have ever known, and if I was able to give my heart to you, I would in a heartbeat. Our paths are now separating and I fear that even if I stay with you out of loyalty, I would not be giving you what you truly deserve. _

_You will find your true love again, and maybe then you will see what I mean. _

_Sincerely,_

_Shiloh Ward_

"Odd," Was all I could say.

Zane, who had been resting quietly, looked over to me in interest. "What is it?"

"Your father gave me this letter from my mother but… I had read my mother notes while pursuing my PH.D. and she always wrote them in cursive." I flipped the letter to face Zane. "And her hand-writing was never this…beautiful. I remember cursing her because I couldn't read her handwriting half the time."

Zane read over the letter carefully. When he reached the bottom, he added something else. "Well, she might have had someone else write the notes but…Why would she use her full name? Who else could she be?"

"I don't know…" I said, shoving the letter into the envelope. This would have to wait for another time. "But I'd lay money that it wasn't my mom…"

**Zane's POV**

Once we arrived, Louisa was there at the airport with Mrs. Francis to pick us up. She very quickly filled us in on the situation—including the part about Ollie's assistance being requested.

"If he was…he'd be released in police custody, but I would serve as his guardian so to say. I don't really know if it's the best idea but I don't see what else we can do." Louisa explained. Mrs. Francis seemed to scowl every time Ollie's name was mentioned, but she remained silent for the most part. "My mother will answer to Ollie if he seeks her out and they seem to have similar minds—Ollie would know where she'd turn up more than I would."

"What would happen after we caught her? Would he go back to the mental institution?" Aster asked—he hated the idea of Ollie being released more than I did. Louisa's frowned from the passenger seat of the car. My skin turned cold—obviously, it wasn't good.

"Well—if Ollie did help and was consider sane during the process…His lawyers could use it as a basis for getting him out. It wouldn't be solid but…"

"It'd be a damn good argument." I sighed.

Louisa turned to look at us. Her eyes becoming very serious. "Look, after what I did to you both, I owe you guys my life—and the only way Ollie can be let out is if I agree to be his guardian. As much as I want to catch my mom and I do! If you guys don't think we should then I won't."

I looked to Aster with a sorrowful glance. His eyes narrowed as if to say _You're joking right? _I didn't want Ollie to have this opportunity—but what choices did we have? My mother was in serious danger and he might be the only way to find her. What was my mother's life to the risk Ollie being a free man? At least I knew what kind of a danger he was. In the past, Caroline Duncan has proven herself to be unpredictable and capable of doing anything. Not completely different from her son, but I was more familiar with Ollie than I was with her.

I had to save my mother—even if it meant my killer was released.

()

"And why should I help?" Ollie said with a strange look of interest. He leaned back against his chair, his book resting comfortably in his lap. I'm sure he wasn't oblivious to the looks of disgust he was receiving from everyone except his sister. In fact, I think he enjoyed them.

"Because Ollie, if you do this, this might help your case to get out of here." Louisa explained in an exasperated voice. He shrugged.

"Maybe I like it here. Maybe these crazies are more relatable to me then you all are…"

"You're mother is out there and she might be causing some kind of havoc." There was little patience in my voice—I barely had any left to spare for anyone, let alone Ollie.

He laughed. "Then I'm safer in here. In fact, if anything you all should join me in here. It's not so bad."

Aster broke before I could. Ollie's laughter was the last straw.

"Listen Ollie! You and your crazy family have caused Zane and me more grief than I can handle in my lifetime! So you're going to help us or else…"

Ollie raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward and spoke with a challenging tone. "Or else what?"

I wanted to kill him for using that tone towards my fiancée. Louisa held me back. Aster smiled. "You don't want to know…" Ollie glared at Aster for a moment or two, and then smiled back.

"I like the creative freedom." It was then I realized he never was going to turn us down. He had planned on accepting from the start—he just didn't want to make it easy on us.

Nothing from this point on would be easy on us.

()

"So, how did you all sleep last night?" Ollie said in the car early next morning. I was driving the car with Louisa and Ollie riding in the back. Aster had elected himself to ride with Mrs. Francis, claiming he would throttle Ollie otherwise. "Well, yes? No?"

"Ollie, please." Louisa said impatiently. "Can we just get down to business?"

"Or if nothing else, shut up…" I practically growled. Ollie rolled his eyes.

"My first day out and you want to 'get down to business'? You guys are no fun."

Louisa ignored him and spoke to me. "My mom might be rooming with her friend uptown… It's a long shot but…"

Ollie made a wrong buzzer sound. The noise gave me a headache. "Too obvious—besides, you know how mother is about her 'friends'."

"Is there someplace she likes to hang out at?" I asked. "Someplace where no one would know her?"

"Our mother didn't really get out much—she was way more interested in…us." Louisa said with a sigh. "Even so, my mom had a lot of enemies, chances are she left town even if she hadn't left England."

"You guys are thinking like sane people!" Ollie bemoaned. "Think about it, where would you go if you were crazy?"

"A mad house…" I muttered quietly. It was loud enough to hear, so Ollie started to giggle. I glared at him in my rearview mirror. It wasn't meant to be a joke.

"Come on guys; use your heads! Where would you be if you were among the mentally unwell?"

When no one answered him; he gave us an annoyed sigh. "You'd go back to the scene of the crime! The place where it all happened! And where did this little family begin?"

After a moment or two, everyone in the car lit up. The more we thought about it, the more sense it made. "You think our mom is in France?" Louisa asked.

Ollie didn't respond—he didn't have to. I hated to admit it but Ollie did help. I never would have thought about it alone, but my mom's home country did make sense. It was where she and Caroline became sisters. Where else could they be?

"We'll need to take a ferry there—I can call my dad and find out where my mom's old house is."

I hope this time I could trust Ollie. But something told me danger was waiting for me. And the only thing I could do was embrace it.


	11. The Final Straw

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 11: The Final Straw

**Aster's POV**

"Are you still mad about that whole having you ran over thing? Because you're making this adventure miserable." I turned to glare at Ollie. It had been a long ferry ride from England to France. Zane and Louisa had left to find a map while Mrs. Francis and I kept Ollie company. Just when I looked at him, he turned to Mrs. Francis. "And you, I didn't really do anything to you. I don't understand why you're so mad."

Mrs. Francis narrowed her eyes but as usual remained silent. I admired this woman's patience. I couldn't imagine how hard it was to look at Ollie (or even Louisa for that matter) and know he played a part in her son's demise. I hadn't actually thought about Ronny lately—but I did remember that if it hadn't been for him, I'd be dead. Ronny had been able to diagnose the drug the Duncan's had used on me when other doctors might have failed. And knowing that, I couldn't help but feel angry when Ollie dismissed his sacrifice.

He shrugged and stretched his legs out. He leaned his head back and stared at Mrs. Francis. Something odd happened. In a moment, something faded from Ollie and I saw a side of him I haven't seen since his pro-dueling days. For a moment; he was the quiet kid with a dark style once more.

"I would have died a long time ago if it wasn't for him." Ollie said softly. It was loud enough that Mrs. Francis's look relaxed a bit. She was still angry, but now her aura carried a hint of confusion too. "I don't know if that makes me grateful to him, or makes me hate him but…I know he would have been better off if he had never met me…"

She slowly nodded in agreement. "Yes he would have…" Her voice started to crack towards the end. She didn't cry, but that was only because she had focused all her will-power on not doing so. I wanted to comfort her but realized doing so would only push her over the edge. Instead, I let her and Ollie's words sink in. Was it possible just this once, Ollie had a conscience? That maybe he felt bad about what he had done to Ronny? I guess in a list of people he would feel bad about hurting—Ronny would have been one of my guesses.

Louisa gave Mrs. Francis a concerned look when she and Zane returned. Zane seemed oblivious to her. "I don't suppose you know any French, do you?"

I sighed; I guess we should have thought this part through before we came here. "Not a lot. I studied Spanish and Mandarin in college and obviously, I know Japanese… I thought your dad was a linguistics PH.D?"

"Yeah, but I'm not my dad…but If I had known we were going to end up in France, I might have had him come along…" Zane said with a frustrated tone.

Mrs. Francis broke out of her trance long enough to give each of us an unsure look. "So none of you speak fluent French? How are we supposed to find your mother?"

Ollie rolled his eyes and stood up. "What do we need to know?"

We were all unsure about this newest revelation. Did Ollie really know French? Or was he just going to obnoxious? Zane handed him the map, figuring we had nothing else to lose. "We need to find out where Sunshine creux is. That's the road my grandmother use to live on before…."

Ollie turned on his heels and walked away from Zane. Zane seemed more confused than angry about it as Ollie went up to the first man he ran into. "Hé, quoi de neuf? Avez-vous savoir comment aller à Sunshine creux?"

The man gave Ollie a curious look. "Excusez-moi. Pardon?

"UN no aurait été amende…" He responded in an annoyed tone, walking away from the man. He came across an older looking woman and smiled at her. I'm surprised she didn't quake in fear. "Bonjour jolie dame, être un agneau et me dire comment se rendre à Sunshine creux?"

The woman gave Ollie a facial response as the man. I had to wonder if it was for similar or different reasons. "Sunshine creux? Que abandonné lieu juste en dehors de la ville?" Ollie nodded. The woman tapped her chin and spoke slowly. "Vous devez suivre la route dans le pays et continuer jusqu'au vous commencer à voir maisons… Personne n'a disparu il y a dans les années cependant, je ne sais pas pourquoi vous voulez."

"Esprit votre propre affaires." Ollie said sternly. The woman backed her head back—looking a bit insulted. She turned to walk away with Ollie waving after her. "Merci!"

Ollie returned to the group; looking rather smug of himself. "She said we have to follow the road out of town until we see abandoned house. Apparently, Sunshine creux isn't a popular place to be anymore."

Be that as it may; it was where we had to be. "Alright then; I think Louisa and Mrs. Francis should stay here in case something bad happens. That way someone can report to the police if something goes wrong." I said.

Louisa didn't seem to like the idea of being left behind, but her need for adventure seemed to take backseat to making sure Mrs. Francis remained safe. "Okay, I don't know how much I'll be anyway."

It was a good idea up until I heard this. "Aster, I think you should stay behind to. Ollie and I can handle it." I froze when Zane whispered that into my ear. I turned to face him; giving him the glare of his life. "You shouldn't be in the middle of this! It's my mother…"

I crossed my arms. "Who's going to be my mom too, provided you don't get yourself killed…" I practically growled, aware that our conversation was no longer private—I had trouble finding the gall to care. "Seriously Zane, you can't expect me to leave you alone with him!"

"Oh no, I'm only right here…" Ollie said with a false sense of hurt. He turned between the two of us. "Look, I'd love to sit around and be the center of your little 'I-can't-let-you-risk-your-life lovey-dovey shit. But my mother doesn't like to stay in one place too long, so we have limited time."

For once, I found myself agreeing with Ollie. Zane shot daggers at him but gave in, knowing him to be right. "Alright, fine, let's just go…"

"Wait, hold on." Louisa said, looking to her older brother. "What if…you guys don't come back? What should we tell the police Ollie?"

He gave Louisa a long, thoughtful look before he answered. "If you have to call the police, say these phrases in the same order… Aidez-nous, c'est une urgence! Trois importants hommes étaient présents à Sunshine creux. Porter sacs mortuaires." Louisa nodded as she took in the phrases.

"What do they mean?" She asked. Ollie smiled that ever-so creepy smile of his.

"Help us, it's an emergency. Three important men were present at Sunshine creux…" His smile grew larger. Somehow making me nervous. "Bring body bags."

**Zane POV**

I could see why people were so baffled about us driving to Sunshine creux. We were ten miles outside of town when we finally hit the cluster of abandoned farm houses. Each one nearly a world apart from the other. It was hard to say which one my mother lived at as a toddler, but according to my father it was a yellow house with white shutters and a long road leading up to it.

"Ollie, where did you learn to speak French anyway?" Aster asked from the front seat. Ollie had his feet resting across the empty seat. Looking like an employee on the way to work as opposed to a mental patient looking for his abusive mother.

"My mother forced me to learn it." His dark voice ended the short conversation, but I could put the pieces together very well myself. It was a fairly safe bet that Jean Carter Jarvis, our relative of relation, was French, and Caroline had made Ollie learn it to honor him.

I couldn't help but notice how Ollie was slowly becoming more and more like he use to be. I had to wonder if that was because of his mother, us, or if Sirena's spell was wearing off completely. By all accounts, it never should have worn off in the first place, or at least not so soon—but somehow Ollie had managed to get out of it. Who's to say we soon wouldn't be facing my attempted-murderer?

My phone vibrated in the cup holder. It was a text message. I asked Aster to check for me in case it was my father or Louisa; it wasn't. "What is it?" Aster grimaced, trying to find a justifiable reason not to tell me. But with our latest argument still fresh in our heads, he decided it was better to tell me.

"Syrus said they're going to bury Bill tomorrow—they can't wait any longer." For a spilt instant, all the pain I had set aside to rescue my mother came back. My grandfather's death had left me breathless for just a moment before I regained it. I had to be strong—I could grieve later.

It didn't stop me from thinking about it. I still felt the pain inside my chest. I still felt like it was all a terrible nightmare. One that kept getting worse. As terrible as my grandfather's death was—the thought of losing my mother was like an infected burn. I accepted the fact that logically, I would have to lose her one day assuming she died before me. I'd have watch my dad die too. And though I selfishly hoped that I would die before him, I knew it was possible Aster would die first. It was hard to say—death wasn't completely law abiding, and it didn't give you warnings as to when it came.

But I didn't want it to claim her; not yet.

"I think this is it." Aster murmured. Sure enough, there was a long; stone drive leading up to an old decomposing house. The yellow paint was hardly so anymore—it looked more like a light brown but oddly enough—the white shutters were bleach pearl, as if dirt and time didn't affect them. This had to be the place.

I drove up the drive and tried to mentally prepare myself. This old house was where my connection with the Duncan's began—one that would follow me and taunt me up to this day. This was more than about rescuing my mother. I was getting ready to start a new life, and I was tired of Ollie hitting people with cars, or Caroline shooting people with guns, or Orville poisoning people with medication. It needed to end here and now.

I put the car in park and shut it off. The doors opened and we stepped out. I looked to Aster, who was wearing a brave face despite the fear I knew he felt in his heart, and then to Ollie. He wasn't afraid or angry like I thought he was—in fact, he seemed to be happy that we had finally reached the house. His eyes staring up at the old house like a piece of meat. I guess to him, this was about more than capturing his mother. I think he saw this as a chance to face his demons once and for all.

Demons I hope we wouldn't get caught in the middle of.

"God, it's good to be home." Ollie said at last, trekking up to the house. Aster and I gave each other a nervous look. He smiled reassuringly. _If anyone could hand it, we can. _I imagined him saying. I smiled back—hoping he was right.

We followed Ollie up to the door. He turned the knob and opened the door. I raised an eyebrow—an unlocked door? That wasn't a good sign.

The living room of the house was well—pink to say the least. It reminded me of a place an elderly woman might drink tea with her friends. But there was only one woman in this room—my mother.

"Mom!" I said nudging past Ollie to step forward. My mother was sitting on the couch—her hands folded in her lap and her legs pressed together like a cocooned butterfly. She looked up through messy, out of place locks. Her eyes prickling with tears when she saw me.

"Zane? What are you doing here?" She said in a hushed whisper, her body leaning forward but not moving from the couch. Her eyes went past me and set on Aster, and then more sternly on Ollie. "What are you all doing her? You have to leave before she sees your here!"

When I kneeled before her, I saw that my mother's hands had been handcuffed together and there was a chain wrapped around her ankles attached to the couch. Obviously, my mother wasn't in on the plan now if she was in the beginning. "We're not leaving without you. Where is she?"

"Zane it's a trick! And she has the key to the cuffs… Just leave me behind."

"Like hell!" Ollie roared suddenly. Aster tried to stop him from stomping over to the staircase, but it was no use. Ollie crossed the room and start yelling upstairs. "Oh moooom, you're son is home!" He took two steps back and glared around the room like a rabid dog. "Come out, you crazy bitch!"

I didn't know where she came from. But she must have been hiding close by. In no less than a minute, her hands were wrapped in his hair. Caroline, despite her small structure, held her own as Ollie tried to tug away. Aster and I both moved to help him at the same time. Caroline pulled out her gun with her free hand and aimed at us.

"I wouldn't test it." She growled. Aster stopped me from moving, his skin paling at the gun, a weapon I had seen Caroline effectively use. She released her grip on Ollie's hair, but jabbed the gun under his chin. His smile matched with her own. "And how is my baby boy doing? All better after the stint in the mad house?"

He seemed relatively unfazed by the gun. "I can't find myself to leave. It's just so nice there…I told them to hold a room for you."

"Always so thoughtful huh?" Something told me this wasn't an out of the ordinary exchange between mother and son. She lowered her and laughed like a mad man. Her arms wrapping around him. It confused me—one minute, she was ready to blow her own son's brains out, the next she was embracing him as warmly as my mother did to me. "Oh Ollie; I knew you'd accept my offer."

"Offer? Now wait just a damn minute!" Aster shouted. My blood went cold at the discovery. We were so blind—Ollie had led us here with a bread of crumbs and we ate them up like ignorant birds. We never once thought to ask what Caroline had said to Ollie before she had left. It was clear now.

This was all a plan was never for Ollie to catch Caroline. It was for them to work together. Caroline turned to us and grinned. Her gun aiming for Aster first, and then to me. "So darling, which one should I finish first? You really wanted that Zane fellow dead but it might be fun to watch his heart break by killing his boyfriend first."

"Let them go!" My mother screamed in a voice too horrified to be her own. "You promised me, Caroline!"

"And what binds me to that promise exactly?" Caroline asked in a cold voice. "The fact that you're my sister? That he's my nephew? You're son caused nothing but trouble for my family."

"You've caused your own trouble!" Aster said with a growl. With a brave feeling he stepped forward in front of me. Caroline turned the gun to him. "You've spent your entire life trying to control your children and everyone else! And when things don't go your way, you somehow think it's appropriate to use violence! But one day, you will get your just rewards…"

Caroline glared at Aster for a moment, and broke out into mad laughter. I looked to Ollie's face and found that he wasn't laughing or showing any visible emotion. Something about it didn't seem right. "And you seriously believe that?"

I felt Aster's shaking hand entwine with mine. He was scared; frightened as all hell. I squeezed his hand. So was I. I wasn't anywhere near ready to die, but I was far more afraid for his life. Every time Aster spoke, it was provoking Caroline and making him more of a target. I wanted him to let it go; to just stop talking. But Aster couldn't be silenced—especially in the face of death. It was one of the things I revered about him. The reason I had asked him to proclaim his love for me in marriage.

Because even with a gun pointed in his face; Aster didn't pretend to be someone he wasn't. "If my dad's murderer can be brought to justice eight years after his death—then you will get yours too."

Caroline looked past us to my mother. Tears were rolling down her eyes. "Speaking of Mr. Phoenix and justice—would you like to tell the boys the dark secret I used to enlist your help, Clarissa? Do you want to tell them why they're lovers instead of brothers?" She crackled at the sick phrase that no one else seemed amused by.

"Secret?" I said, facing my mother. Her face was free of any color and looked as white as death at the mention of this secret. So Caroline wasn't just messing with our heads—she really had something over my mother.

"No…please, anything but that…"

"I think I know." Aster said in a low whisper. He took the envelope out of his pocket and removed the letter from its encasing. When my mom's eyes widened, I realized the truth.

Aster's mother didn't write the letter—mine did.

"You…you pretended to be Aster's mom and broke her and dad up?" I asked. My mother released a heavy sob and lowered her face so that her hair covered her face. "But you didn't even know dad— "

"Yes I did…" She said through a broken sob. "I was taking a class with your father when I met him—I was enthralled by him, but—he didn't even notice me. He and Shiloh were too busy with each other and school work to notice anyone else…That was until my friend, Silas came and stole your mother's heart. They were in love, I knew it. But she didn't want to leave Sam, and Sam didn't want to leave her…Their bond wouldn't let them…So, when Shiloh and Silas went to see an author, I used it as a chance to break them a part….And for me to make my entrance into Sam's life."

She hid her face in her forearms, in an attempt to hide her shame. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Aster and I were a fluke—it should have been my father and Aster mother. Not Aster and I. We shouldn't even exist. My mother had toyed with fate and it was coming back to haunt each and every one of us.

"You were so angry when Sam talked about her…" Aster said quietly. "But…you were the reason they weren't together…"

"I know, and that's why I got so angry…" Her voice was barely coherent. "I had gotten everything I wanted—a loving husband, two amazing sons, and a beautiful life. I thought it made him happy too—but to hear to hear instead that he still wanted her, he still longed for her well…I had no one to blame but myself… He was in love with someone else from the very beginning."

"It's not true…" I said. She looked up at me in confusion. I elaborated. "Dad loves you more than anything in this world. He loves you more than he ever could Shiloh or any other woman… What you did was wrong—but no matter, what you'll do he'll still love you…"

"Touching, really it is…" Caroline said, dragging Ollie forward and handing him the gun. "But now that we've gotten all the misery and angst out of the way—Ollie darling why don't you pick which one dies first?"

Ollie took the gun into his hand and stared at it. After a moment or so, he looked up at Aster and I and smiled. "Well, it looks like they decided for me—I can just shoot them both at the same time…"

Ollie pointed his gun at us and cocked it. I closed my eyes—so this was how it was going to end, then. Aster and I being executed at once while our murderers got away. There was a chance they'd spare my mother but I doubted it—she'd probably be shot too. I felt like I had been thrusted in the middle of a Shakespeare tragedy—only this wouldn't end with us taking a bow as an audience clapped. We would be dead—no poetic justice, no symbolized meaning, just death in its most basic form.

I had to try and save him. I pulled my hand away from his and rested them on his shoulder. He seemed too caught up in his fear to notice. I had once chance to do this right. If I did, Aster would stand a chance of survival. If I didn't, than at least I tried. At least we'd die together; neither one having to know the pain of living without the other.

"NO!" My mother screamed. It was barely heard over the loud bang of the gunshot.

Only one chapter left! Thanks as always, very much to the supporters and reviewers of this story and for all the other ones. I know this one hasn't necessarily been my best work, but I hope if nothing else, it provides a good bridge into the final addition of the 'And' series as I like to call it. Thanks again!


	12. Love and Family

Love and Family

Plot Summary- Zane and Aster begin planning their wedding and new life. But planning a wedding is hard enough—and then Zane's parents come to make things all the more hectic. Can they get through it smoothly? Or will a family secret destroy everything?

Note- Although I'm sure it was obvious, I feel the need to point out that in the last chapter when Ollie was speaking French, I had to use a translator to figure out what he would say. I apologize if anything was inaccurate as I do not speak fluent French. Thanks :)

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX or its characters.

Chapter 12: Love and Family

**Aster's POV**

I fell to the floor; the thump wasn't heard over the sounds of Ollie's gun and Rissa's screams. My mind is pure chaotic for a moment or two. I can't think or act, I'm just still—allowing whatever might happen to happen.

But when I didn't feel pain or didn't black out, I realized I hadn't been shot. How was that possible? I was going to die. No way out this time. I had accepted that and braced myself for the final blow, but it never came. Unless…Zane, oh god!

I looked up and gasped. He was standing tall and open; ready to take the bullet that was meant for the two of us. He was just as confused; so much so he had to look down to make sure he hadn't been shot. He wasn't—he was perfectly fine. Rissa's screams ceased and she was looking past us with disbelieving horror—when I turned my head, I saw exactly why she had this look.

Caroline was doubled over—trying to stop the blood that was flowing from the gunshot wound. Ollie had turned the gun on his creator; he shot his mother instead of us.

Caroline glared at Ollie and for the first time; I saw the monster deep inside her. There was no love or hurt over what Ollie had done; only anger and hatred. She didn't see her son—she just saw an enemy. Another person in her way. That's all Ollie ever was to her—a pawn in her life.

Ollie aimed the gun again, this time aiming for her throat. He wasn't ever going to help her—it was the exact opposite—he wanted to kill her. I got on my feet quickly. It didn't matter that seconds ago Caroline wanted us dead—it wasn't our place to execute her.

"Aster, no!" But it didn't matter, we were both too late. I was close enough that when the gun went off again, blood was splattered on my clothing. I looked away on impulse but I had seen what happened. Caroline couldn't even scream—her body fell to the floor in silent agony. I didn't look back—I didn't want to see her die and remember seeing my father's body.

Zane walked forward and put a hand on my arm. Ollie saw this and pointed the gun at Zane. Whatever fear I had of seeing Caroline dead was gone—my attention was focused on the crazed man holding the gun.

Somehow, he was just as scared as we were. I could see it in his eyes. Even with his mother's blood on his face and our lives in his hands, I had never sympathized with Ollie more than I did now. Killing Caroline wasn't justifiable by any means—and a part of me hated him all the more for it. Then I remembered that the very life she had given him was destroyed by her too. Her abuse and obsession for control made a demon out of him. While I believed people chose how they reacted to things like abuse and that Ollie had different choices; could I really hate him for wanting to be rid of that evil once and for all? Hadn't I been in a similar situation with the D?

"Ollie honey, can you please put the gun down?" Rissa spoke in a careful, soothing voice. Like an aunt would. "None of us want to hurt you. Aster just wants to get the key off of her so I get out of this…"

His eyes narrowed; unsure as to whether or not he could trust Rissa. "She's right." I said in a shaky voice.

After a tension-filled moment, Ollie lowered his weapon. Not letting go completely—but lowered it enough that I felt safe to move. Against my desires, I leaned down and tried to search Caroline's pockets without actually looking at her. Zane leaned down and produced the key after concluding that I couldn't do it with the trauma I had just seen. He helped me up and we unlocked Rissa's chains.

The moment she was free, she wrapped her arms around Zane. Her voice cracking as she spoke. "Dear god, Zane, I thought I was going to lose you! I thought I was going to lose my baby…"

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" He held her close. Not so long ago, he was afraid he was going to lose his mother and grandfather all at the same time. Even if he didn't vocalize it, both Rissa and I knew exactly how terrified he had been.

"I'm okay." I hesitantly turned away from the family moment to the one across the room. Ollie was on his knees besides Caroline's body. The gun right next to him. His hand caressed a lock of his mother's black hair away from her face. The grief in his face was impossible to miss. All I dared to look at was her face but in death Caroline seemed…completely different. In life, she was always so angry and tension-filled. In her, I saw nothing but a vile storm destroying everything in its path. Now she was like lake water—calm and at peace. Her face was pretty—almost like an older version of Louisa—but was hidden behind the dark veil of her terrible personality.

And despite this, I wouldn't mourn her—nor would Zane or even Rissa. The one person who really wished she hadn't died—was the person who pulled the trigger.

()

There was no way we were going to be able to leave England that night. It was nothing short of a miracle that we were able to leave France. Thankfully, the funeral was pushed back to the evening, so we were able to leave tomorrow morning with no real problems.

Ollie was turned himself in at France but would be transferred back to England to face trial. Louisa stayed with him and called us after our flight to tell us everything.

"With your testimony, it will probably be a case of self-defense—manslaughter at worst. But along with what he did to you guys—he's probably going to spend the next couple years in a mental institution and then they'll move him to an assisted-living home for awhile. It's not going to be easy but—maybe at some point he could have a normal life." I heard her say as I leaned my head on Zane's shoulder. He nodded carefully so to avoid my head.

"We've made our statements and we're willing to communicate through the Japanese police but… It's been a hard couple days and my grandfather's funeral is today."

"My condolences- especially since I have a funeral plan now. I just can't believe…Ollie could do that. He hated my mother but I never thought…"

"Just be glad it's over with. That's the only the only good thing that really came from all this." He said. I looked up from his shoulder and saw that Rissa was returning from the restroom. Zane said his goodbyes and closed his phone.

She smiled weakly. "How is Ollie?"

"He's not going to prison more than likely— but it's going to be a long time before society will even think about giving him back his membership card." Zane sighed and rested his hand on my leg. I couldn't help but notice that we were being more public about our relationship than we normally were. I guess when you survive death glaring you in the face—you tend to forget your own rules.

"Zane? Rissa?" We all turned our heads to see Sam pacing towards us. Rissa's eyes seemed to light up at her husband despite everything that had happened.

I allowed to remember how exactly Rissa came to be in this mess. The letter. I was far from mad about it; in fact, I knew if it hadn't been for Rissa, Zane and I wouldn't even exist, let alone be in love. However, I couldn't let the lies go back and forth between them anymore. Just like Rissa always deserved to know how much my mother had affected Sam; Sam deserved to know why he and my mom never could be.

"Rissa, you have to…"

"I know…" She told me with a sigh. "And I will, just…not right now, okay?"

I nodded in agreement, and allowed my fiancées parents to embrace each other. They seemed to forget that they had been arguing. They kissed and hugged freely, never once considering that other people might be looking or perhaps not even caring. They laughed and cried; seeming perfectly happy despite all that had happened.

I looked to Zane—he was smiling. And I knew exactly why. His parents were obviously happy with one another—and being a part would have made them miserable. So I guess seeing them happy—even for just a split second—again, made him happy.

And seeing him happy well—that was more than enough to make me happy.

**Zane's POV**

My mother did tell my father the truth. Naturally, he was pissed but they decided to let the past be the past. They were far from ready to forgive each other but with time I knew they would. In the meantime, they would just continue being in love and take the time to work on their relationship.

The day after my grandfather's funeral, there was a local party at a bar to celebrate his life. This was specifically written in my grandfather's will stating that his life was something to celebrate, not mourn. Many of my distant relatives were star-struck by Aster, while others appeared to be so use to Syrus and I being big duelist they never gave Aster a second thought.

I had got caught talking to a few of my cousins while my mother introduced Aster to some of our other relatives. What was only suppose to be fifteen minutes ended up being two hours apart; two hours too long for me to be away from my fiancée as far as I was concerned.

After awhile though, I saw him walking over to the bar with an annoyed look on his face. I squint my eyes and saw that somehow he had spilled his soda on his shirt. An idea sprung in my head too great to refuse.

I excused myself from my current conversation and walked over to Aster, who was using napkins to clean the wet spot off his shirt. With my wine glass in hand I leaned against the bar next to him. "Well, well, someone's looking a little pissed."

"Not pissed just…" He paused and stared at me intrigued. He smiled when he realized where exactly he had heard me say that. "Reenacting our connection night? Are you actually trying to be romantic?"

"Do you like it?"

He shrugged, but his smirk told me something else entirely. We were by no means moved by the usual acts of romance. Flowers and poetry wouldn't go very far in each other's books. But I knew he liked it when I did things like this. "It's just really surprising—no offense, but I didn't think you had a romantic bone in your body."

I pretended to be hurt which made him laugh. "I can be very romantic if encouraged a little—you just don't go for romantic."

He leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "And what would you call making love on a Greek beach exactly?"

"Fun?" I shivered at the seductive tone in his voice. He pulled back and rolled his eyes, his hand gently shaking the empty glass he had. "I'll buy you one, what do you want?"

"Oh, so this is the part where you get me drunk off wine so you can pry every little secret out of me, right?" He said, taking the napkins away from the stain and setting them on the bar. "Sorry, fool me once, shame on you."

"Well, you're just not making this romantic thing easy are you?"

"Aster!" My mother pushed through the crowd and extended her hand to Aster. "Come on, I have some friends from college I want you to meet."

I suppressed a groan—I didn't want him to leave again, I wanted his attention for myself. "Actually mom, Aster and I were…"

Aster waved his hand. "It's alright, we always have later…I have something I want to tell you!" He shouted as my mom pulled him into the crowd. I sighed to myself. Well, at least my parents liked my fiancée.

Being alone made me remember the last real conversation I had with my grandfather—when I had told him who Aster was. How even considering Shiloh Phoenix's past with my father and his sick condition, all he had wanted was for me to be happy. There were times when I knew I made him proud like the little league games, and there were times when I disappointed him like when he confronted me about being Hell Kaiser. But no matter what, my grandfather had always been there—supporting me or telling me I was idiot.

So since I was alone, I raised my glass for him. Hoping that from now on, I would only make him proud.

()

After returning to my parent's home, Aster and I walked the beach for the last time. As the waves crashed against the sand, I couldn't help but be reminded of our night out here—the last time we allowed ourselves to have fun before Caroline tore everything a part. I knew tonight we wouldn't have a repeat performance and I was okay with that. I enjoyed the quiet, relaxing atmosphere all the same.

"I can't wait to get home—I'm so tired, I'm surprised I can still walk straight." His hands were deep in his pockets—refusing to leave as it would seem. I nodded in agreement.

"I think I've had my fill of my parents for…a long time. I love them but sometimes I'm thankful I live in a different country." Aster chuckled and looked out to the ocean again. He looked so…happy. I really couldn't put my finger on what exactly made him feel that way but as long as it was there—I was too.

Then he took a hand out of his pocket and grabbed mine. He didn't look me in the eye as he spoke. "You know, your mother told me something very interesting…"

I raised an eyebrow. What did my mother have to do with this? "She did?"

"Yeah—see, she's been doing research about same-sex weddings and….I guess a lot of times, both people will propose…" He started taking his other hand out of his pocket. My eyes widened as he got down on one knee. His hand opened to reveal a ring I haven't seen in a very long time; the engagement ring my grandfather gave to my grandmother.

"How did you get that?" I was sure the ring would be buried with my grandfather along with his wedding ring and watch. But here it was, being held over my ring finger.

"Your grandfather gave it to your mother—I guess she was suppose to give it to you but…well, you already had her ring so she gave it to me…We spent most of the night planning this."

"Oh, so that's why my mother kept dragging you around at the party…" I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I can't believe her, my mother can be too much sometimes."

"Are you going to let me do this or not?" Aster said sternly—implying that he was doing it whether I was going to let him or not. I nodded and allowed him to continue. "Look, I'm not going to tell you that I love you or that I want to spend the rest of my life with you because well…It's redundant. You know it already and you're not the kind of man who needs to hear it over and over again."

Well, I guess it was always good to know that your fiancée knew you. "What I will say is that—I'm not an easy person to spend forever with. I think the time we've been together is proof enough of that. But I'm grateful that you can accept me for who I am and still love me enough to ask me to marry you so… Now I'm doing the same. Zane, will you marry me?"

"No— " Aster looked up and gave me a sideways look that made me laugh. "I'm just joking, I've already said yes haven't I?"

He chuckled and placed the ring on my finger, I was surprised by how well it fit. "Did my mother get this resized?"

"No, you and your grandfather just have a similar size." He said, standing up and kissing me on the lips. "You know, July's going to be here before we know it and we haven't done a thing other than pick the date and venue."

"Well then; I guess we have a lot of work ahead of us."

We had a lot ahead of us—our entire lives to be exact. Not so long ago, I was certain we were both going to be killed and I would never get the chance to enjoy the kind of life I wanted. Now, it seemed impossible for life, death or otherwise to stop us.

And if they did; let them try. I was going to marry him come hell or high water, and damn anyone who tried to stop us.

That's the end of Love and Family! I should have the next chapter of Live and Learn up fairly soon along with the last 'And' story Black and White which will be about Zane and Aster's wedding. Along with that, I'm planning on working on a few other couples (Jaden/Jesse, Jim/Kenzan, maybe a Chazz/Syrus fic?). I'd as always like to thank my wonderful, supporting reviewers and hope they've enjoyed this story as well as the others! Thanks!


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